Harry Potter & The Power Of Hogwarts
by Prabal
Summary: [COMPLETED - EPILOGUE ADDED] Harry has finally got over Sirius's death. His 6'th year has started but Hogwarts seems to be in grave danger. What is it that Voldemort wants this time?
1. The Homecoming

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter and the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers. I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be J) and I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it and let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 1 - The Homecoming**

Number 4 Privet Drive looked just like any other ordinary house, but not everyone in the world knew that it was the home of one of the most famous people in the Wizarding world, the world which had people who could do magic. Number 4 Privet Drive was the residence of the Boy-Who-Lived from the time when he was just over a year old – a boy who had survived the killing curse cast by Lord Voldemort.

No one had ever lived after they had been cursed by the "Avada Kedavra", as the green light from the two most feared words in the Wizarding world instantly took away any life force it hit. Everyone knew it was impossible to survive the killing curse, but one boy had survived it, and no one knew how he had done it. This event had become a part of the wizarding folklore and the theories were as weird as the concept that people could fly on broomsticks, but none of the myths ever mentioned the name of the person who had cast the spell. He was known as "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" because the terror which rose in the minds and hearts of the people when the name Lord Voldemort was mentioned was unimaginable.

Lord Voldemort was one of the most powerful wizards in wizarding history, but alas, he used his magical abilities only for gaining power. He was one of those people who were ready to do anything and everything to reach their goals, but the goal of the Dark Lord was one which everyone thought was impossible - immortality. Everyone knew that Voldemort would stoop to any level to get to his target, and he had also made sufficient progress on that. He had gained many supporters - some of whom were too cowardly to stand up against him, some too greedy for the rewards which Voldemort had promised them, while some others who were acting under the effect of one of the unforgivable curses, which let Voldemort have complete control over their minds. Voldemort seemed to be succeeding in his efforts when suddenly his attention turned towards the Potter family. No one knew what exactly happened on the night of Halloween in the year 1981, but many thought the Dark Lord had finally met his match, though what surprised everyone even more was that the Dark Lord was defeated by a child. For all everyone knew, Voldemort was gone and the child was left with a scar on his forehead (where the killing curse had hit him) in the shape of a lightning bolt. That child was Harry Potter.

Harry Potter hated it at Number 4 Privet Drive, but his headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, had said it was one of the safest places for him to live. Professor Dumbledore was one of the most powerful wizards of recent times and all knew that if Voldemort feared anybody, it was Dumbledore. After all, Dumbledore had been a teacher at Hogwarts when Voldemort, who was then known by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle, had been a student there. Dumbledore knew that Tom would be a great wizard one day, but he had never been too sure of Tom's intentions. His worst fears had come true when, many years after Tom had gone missing, he returned in the form of Lord Voldemort. No one could recognize Tom when he had returned as he had gone through a lot of transformations to become Voldemort. The handsome face of Tom had been replaced by a pale face with red eyes like a snake, slits for a nose, and a thin line of an opening where a normal person's mouth would be. Even after becoming so powerful, Tom knew that Dumbledore should not be challenged unnecessarily. After all, he didn't want to challenge Dumbledore unless he was sure that he had become immortal and only then would he face Dumbledore with confidence and hope to win.

Since he was just over a year old, Harry had lived at number 4 Privet Drive. It was the house of his aunt and uncle, who were muggles (non-magical people). One would have thought that an orphaned child would be well taken care of at the house of his relatives but then, that person had not met the Dursley's before. The Dursley's were his only blood-relatives but they didn't know the meaning of the term "blood-relative". They hated anything and everything about Harry since they had come to know about him. The reason for this hatred was that Harry was a wizard, and they hated (or were scared of?) the word "magic". It didn't matter to them whether Harry had defeated some dark wizard or not because, in their dictionary, the term "wizards" and "witches" were equivalent to the term "freak". The Dursley's abused Harry in all manners possible, physically and mentally, as they made him do chores round-the-clock, and said insensitive things about his parents. Harry had spent many days crying silently after they had told him (yet again) that his parents were good-for-nothings, that _he_ was a good-for-nothing, and that his parents would be glad if he died. However he went through all this for 10 years of his life hoping that someday his luck would change, that someday someone will tell him what exactly his parents were like. One thing that he was sure of was that his parents were NOT at all like what the Dursley's made them out to be. Deep inside, he was waiting for something to happen when, on his 11'th birthday, something wonderful happened. For the first time in his whole life Harry came to know that he was a wizard and a famous one too. He fell in love with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry the first time he saw it. It was a huge castle just like in fairytales and from that point onwards Hogwarts had become his "real" home.

After he joined Hogwarts at the age of 11, he had to come back to Privet Drive for his summer vacations, which was like hell for him. Dumbledore had said that it was necessary that Harry should spend his summer vacation at his relative's house and no one dared to argue with him because everyone knew that if Dumbledore had said it was necessary, then there had to be a very good reason for that. Still, Harry hated it very much here.

The only way he could keep in touch with the Wizarding world was through Hedwig, his snow-white owl. She had been a present to him from Hagrid, the former Groundskeeper of Hogwarts and the current teacher of the subject: "Care of Magical Creatures". Hagrid was his first real friend and Hedwig had become a part of his life ever since he had come to know (and own) her. Add to that the fact that Hedwig brought him news of his friends Ron (Ronald Weasley) and Hermione (Hermione Granger), there was no way Harry could think of Hedwig as an ordinary owl.

Ron, who was Harry's best mate, was crazy about quidditch, a game played by wizards on broomsticks and Hermione was a know-it-all. Ron used to initially mention that Hermione was mental but had lately started to keep these type of comments to himself, or used to say these only when Hermione was not around. After all, this _insufferable know-it-all_ had saved their skins so many times with her knowledge that both Harry and Ron knew that she deserved a lot more respect than they had given her in the past. Ever since their first year Harry, Ron, and Hermione were an unbreakable trio and best friends, and had gone through a lot of adventures together. In their first year they had stopped Voldemort from getting the philosopher's stone. Then in their second year, they had saved Ginny (Ron's sister), which ended up with Harry killing a basilisk. The third year had been one of the best years of Harry's life as he discovered the truth about his godfather, whom he saved from a terrible fate. His fourth year saw Harry winning the Tri-Wizard tournament. It was the same year that he witnessed the rebirth of Voldemort, and had even dueled with the Dark Lord before finally escaping.

For the first 4 years (since he had joined Hogwarts), he always came back feeling a bit happy about at least something he had done. Even when Voldemort had regained his body and his power at the end of his fourth year, he still was able to come back alive with the dead-body of Cedric Diggory. Also, he had seen his parents when he had dueled against Voldemort and it was something to feel good about after all. Though he had been upset at the end of his fourth year, he still was a bit happy. But this year it was something else. It had to do with Sirius, his godfather.

This past year, Harry had been practically a pawn in the hands of Voldemort, who had shown him images, in his mind, of Sirius being tortured to death in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. He had gone there to save Sirius, along with 5 others, since he couldn't ask Dumbledore to help him, after he had been expelled from the position of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Neither could he inform the Order of The Phoenix members who had sworn that they would fight all evil. Harry had found no help when he needed it, so he had decided that he would save Sirius. It was not that he wanted to act as a hero but it was the fact that Sirius mattered to him so much that he could even give up his own life to save Sirius. In DoM, he found nothing but a prophecy about himself and Voldemort, and it was only too late when he realized that this was a trap of Voldemort's. The prophecy was destroyed when Harry and his friends were escaping but something terrible happened in between. Dumbledore and the Order members had learnt that Harry was at the DoM and had rushed there to save him. Sirius was also among them. Oh…the joy that was on Sirius' face when he saw that Harry was safe and holding his own. Harry too, felt very proud of his godfather who seemed to be fighting the death-eaters with great ease. After all, Sirius had been practically locked inside his home for almost a year without doing anything and at long last, Sirius felt that he was able to do something for the Order. But both Harry's and Sirius' happiness were short-lived. Harry was saved, but Sirius was killed.

Ohh. The grief which Harry felt: the anger, the agony, and the guilt. He felt all this apart from hundreds of other nameless feelings. It was not like Sirius had been killed by Harry; rather he had been killed by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange who was one of the most trusted servants of Voldemort. Still Harry felt he was to blame for Sirius' death as he was the reason why Sirius had come to DoM in the first place. Later that night, Dumbledore told him what the prophecy Voldemort was after in the DoM said. It said "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives".

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"Sirius was the only family I've ever had, and Bellatrix killed him. Voldemort has been behind all this." Harry thought. "Dumbledore should have told me that Voldemort could mislead me by penetrating into my mind but he didn't. If he had said it earlier then I wouldn't have gone to the DoM" Harry felt his anger rising. "But I should have done my Occlumency lessons with Snape. It would have made me aware of Voldemort". This thought made Harry angry at himself. "If only I had tolerated Snape, then Sirius...Sirius..." Harry's thoughts broke off as he felt a wave of emotions rising inside him as he thought of Sirius.

"He used to love me so much...so much...and what did I do in return...WHAT DID I DO…oh Sirius, forgive me… ", Harry said to himself. "TAKE AWAY THIS DAMNED SCAR and GIVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE!", Harry almost shouted out in frustration. "Let me live a normal life like everyone else. Why...why...how many more do I have to lose?" These were the thoughts which plagued him on his way back to the Dursley's for his summer vacation. But today's ride "home" was a bit different. As Harry sat motionlessly in the backseat of the Dursley's car, everyone was very silent. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were scared, to say the least, by the warning given to them by the Order members at the station regarding how they treated Harry. Their pride in being "normal" had also taken a beating. Harry's cousin Dudley was not used to seeing his parents scared of hurting Harry, but he didn't notice their looks as he himself was being haunted by images of what it would be like if the man with the strange eye (Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody) came up to him. He shuddered at the very thought of it and didn't even have the courage to look at Harry.

Harry sat motionless even after the car had stopped. There was no Ron ,or Hermione, or Ginny to take his mind off from the events of the DoM, and to make matters worse everyone had thought that Harry had been able to overcome his godfather's death. But now, with no one around, the thoughts of his godfather's handsome, smiling face, the good times they had spent together and the fact that it would never happen again rushed backed into his mind. Only one thing occupied his thoughts and that was Sirius.

"Get out or I'll lock you inside the car!" Uncle Vernon shouted, but then started to look around in fear, almost thinking that some "weird" people would come out of nowhere and punish him for shouting at Harry. Harry slowly got his things and Hedwig's cage out and went in. He sat down on his bed in his room and put the trunk aside without even noticing Hedwig hooting in slight anger for his dropping of the cage onto the floor. He sat there as the sun set and didn't even bother to get up and switch on the lights of his room.

"Why does it always happen to me? First dad and mom, then this god-damn scar, then Sirius...WHY?" Harry was thinking this for the umpteenth time until all the lights of the house were switched off by Uncle Vernon indicating that it was time for bed. The growling in his stomach reminded him that he had had nothing to eat all day long but still he didn't feel like eating. He just took off his shoes and went to bed without caring to undress. He was still thinking when sleep engulfed him, bringing with it the scenes of Sirius.

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"Sorry Master, I couldn't get inside. They are there but they are too protected." the figure before him trembled. "But I tried."

"Don't worry Wormtail, I didn't expect you to get inside. But luckily for you have gotten me enough information." The lips curled up in a horrific smile.

Far away, a 15 year old (due to be 16 in a few weeks) woke up screaming in pain.

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**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 1'st chapter again. This was taken down from because of _bad grammar and spelling mistakes_. I think you won't find it _that_ bad now. Just to inform you, this chapter and all the others has been spell-checked in MS-Word XP and if you think the spelling or grammar is not up to the mark then copy/paste this in your own word processor for verification.

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	2. New Resolutions

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter and the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) and I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it and let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 2 – New Resolutions**

"COME OUT, you little bastard" shouted Uncle Vernon. Harry looked at his watch to see that it was 12:15 p.m. and time for his lunch. He had been awake from 5:00 in the morning and had been thinking about what had happened over the summer and somehow, he just wasn't able to get his mind off Sirius. 'Why did Sirius have to die?' this was the question for which Harry found no answer but he was sure of one thing, today he will have to make some decisions.

Also on his mind was the vision he had yesterday night. What was it that Voldemort had asked Wormtail to do? Whatever it was, it was very well protected since Wormtail hadn't been able to reach it. Even Voldemort had been skeptical of the chances of Wormtail getting them but what if 'it' wasn't a thing? What if it was a person?

NO, it can't be. Or rather, it shouldn't be. I can't afford to lose another person close to me, Harry thought with the face of Sirius coming up fresh in his mind. Or was it another of Voldemort's tricks? "He has penetrated my mind before also. He had shown me the DoM and Sirius" Harry thought. Maybe it was just another trick of Voldemort, he tried to convince himself about this but what if it _really_ was someone or something that Voldemort was planning to get? "Maybe I should tell Dumbledore" Harry thought. "But do I trust him to do the right thing? I trusted him for all these years and what have I got till now? Misery, grief, loss of the person who meant the most to me…no, Dumbledore will have to wait until I figure out if it was real or not" Harry found himself muttering these things to himself. "BUT how can Voldemort start to plan something again? He has lost most of his followers and they have to be in Azkaban right now. Hopefully the minister…oh my god…Fudge…he surely couldn't have messed up again and let some of them run scot free" Harry reminded himself of the times when many death-eaters had gone free saying that they were acting under the effects of the Imperius curse. "If something of that sort happens then surely Ron or Hermione will inform me. Without his most trusted supporters, Voldemort won't do anything foolish…but he still has Bellatrix with him. Hopefully he has killed her for not getting the prophecy." Harry wished.

"GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW OR YOU WON'T HAVE ANY LUNCH"

Uncle Vernon's words brought Harry back to reality. "Uncle Vernon at home at this time?" thought Harry but his growling stomach made him forget the question and he went down for his lunch.

"What took you so long? Eat something and get back to your room. We can't wait for you all day long" Uncle Vernon spat out.

Harry didn't bother to answer his uncle's question as he quickly started eating. After staying with the Drusley's for so long, he knew when they expected an answer and when they expected Harry to stay quite indicating he had done something wrong (again!). For the first time in around 24 hours, he noticed just how hungry he really was but he knew that he wouldn't get more than the 2 sandwiches which had been kept on his plate. Whenever he had asked for more, he had been ordered to leave the table without even finishing his meal. He knew that he could argue now. After all, he wasn't the same meek 11 year old boy who could be forced into doing anything his relatives wanted but he was so busy grieving Sirius that he didn't want to get into an argument now. All he wanted to do now was to finish his meal and go back to his room work out his priorities. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Uncle Vernon peering out of the windows from time-to-time. He could also feel that Uncle Vernon was a bit nervous.

"So, Moody's warning has had an impact" the truth dawned on Harry. "So much so that Uncle Vernon didn't even go to his office today. Well, who cares?" With this thought, Harry finished his meal, left the table and went up to his room.

For the first time since coming back here he looked around his room and found that Hedwig was sleeping in her cage. He felt guilty for ignoring her last night and understood that she had been unable to go out and hunt herself any food. Even then Hedwig had remained silent though she must have been feeling very hungry at night. "Good girl, she understands me so much. I have to make up for that today." With that in his mind, he started to think what he needed to do today.

"First things first, have to take a shower and then unpack my things". With that Harry went down to take a shower. Aunt Petunia was extremely angry when she saw him coming out of the shower at that time.

"Listen boy, this house won't run according to _your_ rules. From tomorrow onwards you won't be able to take a shower unless you take it at the right time in the morning" Aunt Petunia's eyes were full of hatred as she shouted at Harry. Harry just turned away and left.

"How can one human hate another so much?" Harry found no answer to this question which had popped up in his mind. "If there is a hating contest, then my uncle or aunt will give Voldemort a run for his money. Who knows, Voldemort may even lose." With a small smile on his lips, Harry went into his room again. Once inside, he got dressed in Dudley's old shirt and trousers (_these are so BIG and…are these wearable clothes? rags maybe, but certainly not clothes for wearing. And then they blame me for looking odd in front of visitors??_) and took out the required things from his trunk and placed them at their appropriate places. Certainly, no one would call his stuff 'normal', not when there is a book which bites, a broomstick which is used to fly whereas people use it for cleaning rooms, books on creatures such as unicorns which people thought were myths…but when was _his_ life normal?

After he had finished clearing up everything and his room looked to be in some kind of order (at least to him), he sat down on his bed. **NOW** was the time for some serious thinking if he was to make something out of his life. **NOW** was the time for some decision making. But he wasn't finding it easy to think about anything other than Sirius but no, Harry decided, now was not the time for grieving any more. Knowing fully well that he would never forget what had happened at the DoM, he pushed away the thoughts regarding Sirius and concentrated on the bigger picture.

Many people had given their life protecting him as they all thought he was going to be the _savior of the wizarding world_ (ha!). The weight of this seemed too heavy for his soon-to-be 16-year old shoulders but he knew he had to do something. He didn't want to be any savior or hero but he just couldn't let down all the people who had died for him. There were far too many people who believed that he was 'something' even though they didn't know the exact contents of the prophecy or even its existence. "What should I do? Go out and kill Voldemort." His heart tried to tell him whereas his mind started reason with it "Am I mad? I saw what Voldemort is capable of. Even Dumbledore couldn't stop him and everyone expects _me _to go and kill him. Who do these people think I am – some wizarding version of Clarke Kent who will transform into Superman?" Harry thoughts were getting desperate by the moment as he was finding it very hard to come up with a solution. He then tried to relax as his mind got the better of his heart. There was no reason to panic as most of the damage had already been done, he reminded himself. "Maybe not for the wizarding world, but for me the damage has really been done. Who cares about me after all? Everyone expects me to see things, bear pain, see my loved ones die AND then stand up strongly against Voldemort. Everyone wants _me_ to save the world in some way, but what about MY life? Who do I have to live for and why the hell should I try to protect others?" Harry thought as he started getting carried away in his emotions once again. "Dumbledore – he had said that I am destined for great things. Yeah yeah, I may live long enough to see those _great_ things I do." Harry thought sarcastically. "Ron, well, he is my best mate but he too is jealous of this goddamn scar" Harry knew that Ron was jealous from the 4'th year when Harry's name came out of the goblet of fire for the Tri-Wizard tournament. "Hermione, she is always studying and always wants me to follow the rules. How can I follow the rules when I am destined to fight someone who doesn't follow any damn rule in the world? What would Ron or Hermione have done if they had lost someone close to themselves? All the Weasleys were almost at their breaking points when Mr. Weasley got hurt last year. Even Hermione seemed shocked. And here am I, without parents, without my godfather, but still expected to be strong. But if _I_ am supposed to be the one who is the main thing Voldemort is after, then no one else should get hurt. Mom and dad loved me and they died. Sirius loved me and he died. Maybe Remus, Ron, Hermione, Ginny...Noooo" Harry started sweating at this barrage of disastrous thoughts. "I'll have to stop this in some way. Someway or the other it has to come to an end. But I have to go through many things even before I can expect to challenge a 7'th year student, let alone Voldemort. Maybe I should set some targets for myself." Harry thought to himself knowing fully well that his thoughts were now back on the right track. He took out a parchment and started thinking. "What the hell I am doing. Writing targets to fight Voldemort? That's easy as there can be only one target – staying alive and killing Voldemort." he thought sarcastically "If only life had been so easy…" But a voice from deep inside cut him off - "Do you really wish to give up so easily? Can't you do anything against Voldemort without complaining so much? Doesn't the life of your parents and godfather mean anything to you?" – this voice sounded so much like his own but just a bit deeper. Knowing fully well that whatever the deep voice had said was true, Harry gave in to direction in which his life was destined to go "I'll try." he said to himself.

Thinking for a moment, he forced himself start writing on the parchment.

_Things I have to do_

_1) Learn as much as possible._

Finishing this, he again got lost in his thoughts. "Whoever is close to me dies. What should I do...what should I do? It's not as if I want them to be hurt but…there MUST be some way". Suddenly a thought struck him "If I stay away from others, then they MAY remain safe. At least, they will have a chance then. With me around, they always get into danger" he shuddered from the thought about how his 5 friends had to fight for their lives at the DoM. His thoughts wandered to the times he and his friends had spent together and how much they had helped him in this past 5 years. "NO, I won't let them be harmed" He thought. "But how can I stay away from Ron, Hermione and Ginny?" He asked himself. A voice deep down replied that he should do so even if he didn't find an answer now. He made a promise to himself that he will do so though he had no idea about how he was going to keep his promise.

_2) Stay away from my friends as much as possible…without hurting their feelings._

His hand almost stopped in the middle of writing this line but he forced himself to do it. He was very angry with himself that he was thinking of doing this. How could he ever explain this to his friends that this was for their own good? What will they think of his behavior? Oh yeah, Ron would say something like 'there goes our big hero who doesn't even have the time to talk to us'. These thoughts started bothering him very much as also the fact that he could end up as a loner. Neither did he want to be all alone with no one to talk to nor did he want everyone to think that he was trying to act like some hero. But he also didn't want them to be suspicious of his motives because he knew that if they found out even a single thing about this, then no matter what he did, they will stick by his side. He didn't want them to ever find this out, no matter what.

"BUT who ever cared what I EVER wanted? I never wanted this damn scar. I don't want to be a hero. Then WHY?" The memories of Sirius came flooding back. Why had it happened? "If I had just continued my Occulmency classes..." He thought bitterly as he remembered that he was thrown out of the classes by Snape – Snape, that greasy haired git. "He was always insulting me and my dad" Harry thought "Snape could have helped me if he could just have given up his childish prejudice, but he didn't. He must be now rejoicing the death of Sirius, maybe even having a little drink with his _lord_" Harry was almost beside himself with anger as images of Snape provoking him in the class came to his mind. He was angry – angry with himself because he hadn't put up with Snape, angry with Snape because Snape NEVER tried to help him. What's more, he didn't even trust Snape. Snape was acting as a spy for the order but in all probability, he could very well be a spy for Voldemort. Snape, that bloody greasy git. AND Dumbledore! He was getting weary of Dumbledore's methods of keeping him 'safe'. "Yeah, yeah...I will be safe and everyone I love dies around me. It will be such a nice world to live in then. Such a nice way of remaining SAFE" he muttered bitterly. And the worst thing was that Dumbledore always defended Snape. Dumbledore would even go to the extent of vouching for Snape when he knows how much I have suffered at his hands at Hogwarts, Harry thought with his anger rising again. Maybe someday Dumbledore will ask Snape to be Harry's bodyguard. That will be the day, smiled Harry grimly. Harry's moods were swinging too frequently for his own good. Sometimes he wasn't even able to think clearly because of his rage. He again tried to calm himself down so that he could think logically again.

Who can question Dumbledore's wisdom? He was the only one Voldemort feared, and that was in itself a lot. Harry had always viewed Dumbledore with a lot of awe. For Harry, Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of modern times but...but...why had Dumbledore remained silent this past year? Why had he avoided Harry? Why didn't Dumbledore just talk to him for sometime explaining everything before Sirius died? Dumbledore had a full year to help him out, but he didn't. For all Harry knew, if Dumbledore had even once said about what MAY happen if Harry didn't do his classes with Snape correctly, then Harry would have stayed put with that greasy git till death. Better Snape than Sirius dead. Alas, it was too late now.

"**SOMEBODY** should pay for this. **SOMEBODY HAS TO PAY** **FOR MESSING UP MY LIFE**..." Harry almost screamed out in frustration and anger. But who? "VOLDEMORT" the name started throbbing in his mind and ears. "He will eventually pay. He will pay for all his misdeeds. Voldemort – even if I don't fight you for the other people of the wizarding world, I will do so to get revenge for my family, the one that I never got to know." Harry's mind seemed sure about this last point. "But others will also pay. Others who have cost me Sirius...who could have saved him...everyone will pay." With this thought, Harry wrote down the third and probably most important point:

_3) Revenge from EVERYONE._

Harry looked down at what he had written with a grim smile. Executing his 3'rd point on the agenda will require some wits and raw nerve. Maybe not everything which he was planning to do was correct but after Sirius, he felt that the time had come for him to pay back. He was sure of that. Since no more _targets_ came to his mind (his O.W.L's scores and the subjects which he will pick for N.E.W.T.'s were the farthest away from his mind now) Harry started to sketch out a plan for these.

Learning new things, well, he was going to learn new things this upcoming year (unless he had flunked in all his .O.W.L.'s) but he needed to learn something more. He had to learn what dark wizards were capable of, what kinds of spells there are, how he could fight them…the list went on and on. Will Dumbledore help me in this, he thought skeptically. He decided to wait a bit before talking to Dumbledore about all this. Also, he would be observing Dumbledore's (and other people's) actions for the time being.

Avoiding his friends would be quite difficult, Harry thought with a pang of guilt but then, they might think that he was still mourning Sirius. It would be easier then. In that way, they would not be offended and he will be allowed to do whatever he wanted to without anyone interrupting him (unless he wanted someone to be there). This thought cheered him up somewhat. "Staying with Hermione for 5 years and getting into so much trouble does have some good side effects. At least, you can think up good excuses real quick" he smiled inwardly.

His final aim would be no easy meat either. He would have to be very careful about it as everyone would have to be dealt with carefully. Maybe he will have to take Remus into his confidence, Harry thought, since he was sure that Remus was mourning Sirius very much also. He knew that if he could trust someone with his life at this moment, then it better be Remus than anyone else – even Dumbledore didn't come close to Remus. But still, talking with Remus will have to wait for a while since he had to take care of some of the things before he started implementing his third target.

"5 years of hurt, hatred, half-truths...everything will be paid back", the look on Harry's face when he was thinking this was quite frightening. All this thinking finally drained Harry of whatever energy he had gained from his lunch as it seemed his mind had shut itself down. He couldn't believe that it was 6:00 in the evening and he had been doing this for over 4 hours at a stretch now. He stuffed away the parchment into his trunk beside his invisibility cloak and made a mental note to keep the parchment safe and out of reach of any of his friends. He also decided that as time went by, he would keep adding targets to that parchment and will also break-up his 3 targets into some smaller portions. He looked around and saw that Hedwig was awake and looking at him. As soon as he looked at Hedwig, she turned her head away from him. He gave a short sad smile towards her as he understood that she was a little bit angry with him. She was the only true friend he could count on now - someone who didn't hide her feelings, who didn't say half-truths, who loved her and who stood by him through thick and thin. He went up to Hedwig, gave her a few owl treats and let Hedwig out of her cage (she gave an angry hoot at him for his ignorance last night but seemed thankful for the owl treats). "Sorry girl, I was very upset and was totally lost in my thoughts. It won't happen again, I promise." Hedwig seemed to understand and knew that Harry won't break his promise to her. She gave him a short peck on his ear almost indicating that she could feel his pain. With that, she flew out to hunt for herself.

"This room feels very stuffy. A walk would be the right thing to do now." Harry thought to himself. With that he started climbing down the stairs.

"Where do you think you are going?" Uncle Vernon bellowed.

"For a walk. I'll be back in an hour" Harry replied with a hint of anger in his voice and opened the door.

"You better go up to your room NOW if you know what is good for you" Uncle Vernon almost seemed beside himself with anger. No one ignored his words, NOT this tiny 'abnormal' child.

"If I don't go out there, then the people who met you at the station will think something has happened to me. After that you will be responsible if anyone turns up asking for me. Don't blame me for anything then." Harry said as he stood by the door uncertainly, hoping silently that his uncle would let him go now.

Uncle Vernon seemed to contemplate his words carefully. He didn't want any 'clowns' to turn up asking for Harry, least of all the guy with the weird eye.

"Ok, go on. But get back here in 30 minutes or we'll lock you out." Uncle Vernon had no other choice but to do this.

Harry didn't say a word more and went out before Uncle Vernon had the chance to change his mind. He liked going for short walks sometimes. The air also seemed fresh that evening and he felt a bit relieved walking all alone enjoying the air blowing on his face. Also, he felt as if some of the burden of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He went to the park nearby where Dudley with his gang used to hang out and luckily found that they were not there today.

"Thank god, at least I will be able to sit in peace here for the moment" Harry thought as he lay down on the green grass to look up at the clear sky. He tried to make shapes from some of the clouds which were there on the sky and found that one of the shapes looked like a man's face. Suddenly his thoughts shifted back to that of Sirius. He started thinking about how it would have been if Sirius had been beside him. Maybe they would have had some ice-cream and would have talked about his dad. Sirius always liked to talk to Harry about the time he spent with his dad and Remus, about what they did at Hogwarts, about how his dad would create trouble at school and then pretend to be an angel, about how Sirius would go after some of the Gryffindor girls but no one seemed interested in him, about how Remus used to mock him for being a playboy. Harry used to love those tales and a small smile crept on his face when he remembered the good times he had spent with Sirius. Though the time spent with Sirius had been quite short, yet they had been the most enjoyable moments of his short but adventurous life.

His most prized possession was the Firebolt broomstick which Sirius had given to him during his 3'rd year. At that time Harry had thought Sirius was the one who had betrayed his parents by handing them over to Voldemort but towards the end of his 3'rd year, he learnt that Peter Pettigrew (or Wormtail as he was known) was the main culprit. Peter had been the secret-keeper of his parents when their house had been kept under the Fidelius charm and had told Voldemort where his parents were hidden. The night on which Harry had discovered that Sirius was innocent had been an adventurous one. That night Wormtail fled to revive Voldemort but still that night had a bright silver lining to it. Sirius had informed Harry that he was Harry's godfather making Harry happy beyond words. He had a family, yes, he had a family, that was the only thought which seemed to come in his mind at that time. Sirius had offered Harry a place to stay, a place which both of them would be able to call a home and where both of them would be able to have fun. That was when Harry had felt joy beyond himself thinking that after all that had happened to him, he would at last have a family. He would stay with his godfather. At last he would have had a home. But Minister Fudge had refused to believe that Sirius was innocent. **THAT MINISTER**, he was a good-for-nothing. Suddenly he felt angry all over again. Fudge had made Harry lose his godfather and his dream home and had also had tried to administer the Dementor's _Kiss_ to Sirius. Thankfully Harry and Hermione had been able to save Sirius's life. All of a sudden, Harry came back to reality. He quickly rubbed off the silent tears which he had been shedding almost subconsciously and looked around to find that no one had seen him. But if only Sirius had been alive Harry wouldn't have to be here. He would have been somewhere else with his loving godfather. But Sirius was now...

He was about to rise when he suddenly felt a pair of eyes bearing down on him. He couldn't be sure of the direction but he knew that _someone_ was watching him. He silently got up and gripped his wand in his pocket and knew that at the slightest hint of danger, he would be able to pull out his wand to protect himself. Swiftly, he made his way towards his 'home' knowing that it was past 7:30. Uncle Vernon would be mad at him and Harry was already trying to think about some possible excuses. It was also not helping that he was subconsciously aware of the person following him. He could feel that there was only one person but wasn't too sure of that person's intentions. Was it a Order member or one of Voldemort's followers? Whoever it was, 'it' didn't seem to be taking any actions against Harry at the moment. As he turned the last corner before coming onto the street leading to his house, Harry's scar burnt like hell. He stopped in his stride and fell to the ground clutching his scar. It seemed like forever. The pain again faded away as suddenly as it had started. Slowly he managed to get up and started walking again. After walking just a few paces someone suddenly grabbed him from behind and threw him down behind some bushes on the roadside. Harry felt the person standing (or was it kneeling) beside him and he drew his wand and pointed it towards the place where he knew the person was. His quidditch seeking capabilities had made him do all this in a split second but before he could say a spell a tense voice spoke "Don't do it."

"Tonks? What are you doing here and why did you throw me like I was some garbage." Harry queried ad worry took over his thoughts. Tonks never sounded so serious, in fact she was one of the most cheerful person's who he knew.

"I was watching you. As to why I just threw you down, well...have a look for yourself" Tonks voice was seemed very tense. She was still under the invisibility cloak but poked out a finger to point out the direction to him.

Harry did as he was told. What he saw left him speechless and his eyes grew wide at the scene before him. Above a house, there hung a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding out of it's mouth like a tongue. The whole thing was blazing in a haze of greenish smoke. The Dark Mark was above no. 4 Privet Drive.

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**A/N:**

Chapter 2 here :)

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	3. Occulmency & Decisions

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 3 – Occulmency & Decisions**

Harry did as he was told. What he saw left him speechless. His eyes grew wide at the scene. Above a house, there hung a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding out of it's mouth like a tongue. The whole thing was blazing in a haze of greenish smoke. The Dark Mark was above no. 4 Privet Drive.

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Harry lay there beside Tonks & looked with bewilderment at what he was seeing. "What was the dark mark doing over his 'home'? Was Voldemort here? No, that cannot happen. Dumbledore always said that _this_ place was always the safest one for him (_at least, to stay alive if not for anything else_). But then…" Suddenly he came back to reality from his thoughts.

"Tonks, the Dursley's are in there. Are they safe?" even though Harry never felt any 'love' for his guardians, he never wanted them in the hands of anyone like Voldemort.

"Tonks, you ok?" Harry asked again because he got no answer from her to his previous question. But he knew Tonks was there; he could feel her body pressed against his, still very tense. Still, no reply. This was starting to get a bit on Harry's nerves.

"Tonks, you sit here & keep watch while I go and have a look at the Dursley's" Harry's voice was very sarcastic when he said this. He just couldn't believe that Tonks was just staying there and not doing anything to help the Durley's. This seemed to bring Tonks back to her senses.

"You are going _nowhere_ unless I let you go." Tonks grip tightened around Harry's arms. "Just keep still."

"Yeah, keep still…nice thing to do when your relatives may be in the hands of Voldemort." Harry could feel Tonks flinch at this name. "You sound just like Dumbledore. What's the problem with you people? Don't you value any other people's lives other than mine?" he felt sick at being given this _special_ treatment. He never asked for all this bodyguard stuff. He had dueled against Voldemort without anyone holding him back. And for the record, he had managed to escape alive all the times, a record which not many people had lived to tell. Still everyone had to treat him like a child. "Ok. Very nice. I will just wait here with you till we start hearing the Dursley's screaming with pain. Maybe they will be cruciated first. Who knows, maybe you will even be able to enjoy it." He felt Tonks getting a bit uncomfortable due to his scathing remarks and somehow it felt nice to him.

Suddenly Harry felt Tonks relax beside him. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. "What happened, did you see the green light hitting all of them? Is their torture over?" Harry knew that he was going a bit overboard but he just couldn't stop himself. Tonks didn't reply to his questions. Obviously, she didn't like these questions very much added to the fact she didn't have enough courage to answer him without her voice quavering a bit. She was just too nervous at what had just happened.

Suddenly Harry could understand why Tonks grip had relaxed a bit. A figure, dressed in white from head to toe & having long silvery hair and a silvery beard was walking towards the house. More 'pops' announced the arrival of more people. Dumbledore and some of the Order members had arrived at the scene.

At seeing Dumbledore, Harry also got over his nervousness a bit. He had been literally tearing into Tonks with his scathing remarks. He even felt a bit sorry for her. Many a great wizard had trembled at the sight of the dark mark so Tonks reaction was pretty obvious. But Harry didn't feel like apologizing to her or doing anything of that sort. Rather he was beginning to get angrier, not at Tonks, but rather at Dumbledore. Dumbledore, the great protector of Harry, who kept his every move in view, maybe even kept a watch on what he ate. Everyone knew, he could do anything to keep Harry safe. Maybe if he assumed that Azkaban would be safe for Harry, then he would even put Harry in Azkaban. Harry had been fed up with Dumbledore's measures to keep him safe. The fact that others were now getting in far great danger, because of him, was making him quite angry. Maybe he didn't care for the Dursley's much, but he did care for his friends at Hogwarts.

"Get up. I think Dumbledore has the situation under control" Tonks whispered as she saw Dumbledore vanish the dark mark with a swish of his wand.

Harry got his anger in his control and got up on his feet as Tonks was taking off her invisibility cloak. She then got hold of one his arms and started walking towards the house.

"Who's there?" asked a threatening voice.

"It's me, Tonks. Got the hot-headed scar-boy with me." Apparently Tonks had not taken too well to Harry's remarks but Harry couldn't care less.

As the man stepped into light Harry was relieved to see a tired looking Remus with his wand pointing towards them. Remus's stare softened as soon as he saw Harry coming towards him.

"Thank god you are safe. I was so worried." Harry knew that the relief in Remus's voice was genuine. Remus was the one who had also lost too many people. Firstly, he had lost a normal life when he was bitten by a werewolf. Later, he lost James, then Peter was lost to Voldemort & lastly he lost his last remaining friend Sirius. Harry seemed to be his last remaining reason to live and he just couldn't bear the thought of losing Harry. Tonight's events seemed to have started taking a toll on Remus. He had feared that he had _really_ lost Harry. But on seeing Harry alive and unharmed, some color started to come back in his face.

"Hello Remus. Sorry I got you so worried." If there was one person whom Harry didn't want to hurt in any way, that was Remus. He knew that Remus was still mourning Sirius's loss and tonight's events had shaken him up quite a bit.

"It's ok now that you are safe. We should get you out of here. Get your things packed." Suddenly Remus seemed very much businesslike.

"Hold on a minute. Let me talk to Dumbledore first. I _have_ to know whats going on." Harry replied.

"Ok. Lets go inside."

As Harry was going in he looked around to see about 10 Order members guarding his home from every possible angle. If his eyes were not mistaken, then there was a cat behind one of the bushes on the other side of the road. Suddenly, hoping against hope, he looked around to see if a big black dog was anywhere nearby. Alas, no dog was in sight.

Remus seemed to have guessed Harry's intentions. "C'mon Harry" he said giving Harry a squeeze on his shoulder. Harry suddenly realized that he had been standing at the door for about a minute now without moving an inch. With a sigh he pushed open the door & walked inside not noticing Remus holding back a bit to wipe a single tear from his eyes. Oh, how much Remus hoped that Sirius had been there and he, Sirius & Harry could live peacefully somewhere. But…

Moving inside Harry found Dudley & Uncle Vernon sitting on the dining table looking very pale. Dudley seemed like he would be transformed into a pig at any moment. The look on Uncle Vernon's face when he saw Harry was one of fear and absolute loathing. He stared at Harry for quite some time before noticing that there was another person with Harry. In fact, Remus had been standing there & studying the look on Harry's uncle's face. "How can Dumbledore leave Harry at the hands of _these_ people?" Remus found no answer to this question. He shuddered to think what Harry would face if he was left behind with his relatives.

Suddenly, Dumbledore came into sight followed by Petunia Dursley. Obviously both of them had been talking ever since Dumbledore had arrived there. Aunt Petunia's eyes were a bit red but Harry seemed to have not taken any notice of that.

"Professor, what happened here? Who shot up that mark? Wasn't this the _safest_ place for me to stay?" questions came pouring out of Harry's mouth. He had his anger under his control but his voice seemed to have an edge to it.

"Well Harry, I don't think now is the right time & place to talk about it. I think we should get you to a safe place where your questions can be answered properly." Dumbledore answered matter-of-factly. Before Harry could protest Dumbledore turned to Remus and said "You and Tonks take Harry to a safe place and wait for me" Remus nodded in understanding and took Harry to his room. Within a few minutes, they had packed Harry's things and were out of the door.

"Tonks…TONKS!!!"

"oh Remus…sorry, I was just talking to Dung" Tonks replied as she came running up to them.

"We have to take Harry to a _safe_ place. Dumbledore asked both of us to go along with him." Remus didn't notice the frown on Tonks face as he said this.

"So our wonder-boy needs _2_ escorts, does he?" a cold voice said from behind.

"Did _your_ lord send you to spy on me?" Harry turned around to face the person who was the number 3. on his most-hated list (the first 2 were Voldemort & Wormtail).

"Severus, don't start anything now. We have to get Harry moving now." Remus interrupted before Snape could answer Harry which was a good thing seeing the look on Snape's face. If looks could kiil, then Snape would have killed Harry then and there.

Several pop's around them announced the arrival of ministry aurors. Before anyone could move, Remus stuck out his wand.

_BANG_. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt separating the ministry aurors from Harry, Remus & Tonks. Many of the aurors fell over trying to get out of the way of the bus. Also, Harry flattened his hair to cover up his scar.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch

or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take

you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be

your conductor this evening." This voice rang out as the door of the Knight Bus opened to reveal a lad who was around 21. "Oh, Neville. Nice to see you again. Are these pals of yours?"

Tonks and Remus stared at Harry for a moment. "Neville!!".

"Yeah Stan, can you just get us off here REAL quick? I'll pay you as soon as we are off. Please hurry." Harry said as he hopped in followed by Tonks and Remus.

"Sure can. Hey Ern, take 'er away." Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses & who drove the Knight Bus, nodded even as he could see some of the ministry aurors rushing around the back of the bus.

There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Harry, Tonks & Remus found themselves flat on the floor, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus. Some of the aurors on the road fell back in a reaction to the sound.

As the newest passengers were pulling himself up, they heard Stan ask "So, where are you off to?".

"1, Grimmauld Place." It was Remus who replied.

"It'll be 13 sickles for each. Why don't you get yourselves a bed while Neville here can pay the fare." Stan said.

Both Tonks & Remus were for the nearest empty beds while Harry paid Stan the money plus an extra galleon for keeping his request. Stan looked very happy at that. "Gee, thanks Neville, that's very kind of you. So why were there so many wizards out there? It wasn't anything serious was it?" Stan voice suddenly became serious.

Harry could feel the indirect reference to Voldemort in Stan's question. "No Stan, just a bit of misunderstanding. You know how our minister is, jumps at anything which can guarantee him some good publicity" Harry said in a monotonous tone as he got to his bed. Stan nodded his head apparently satisfied with the answer. "How long will it take us to get there?" Harry diverted the conversation away from the topic on hand.

"Well, 'u should be there in about 25 minutes, what do you say Ern?" Ern nodded in reply.

"Thanks Stan. You and Ernie are always very helpful." This statement apparently suggested that Harry wanted to finish off the conversation. Stan seemed to get the hint and just said "'u are welcome, Neville".

"Why does he call you Neville?" apparently, curiosity had got the better of Tonks's anger.

"Well, I had used this bus to – well – go to the Leaky Cauldron in my second year and didn't want to give away my identity."

"Does Neville know?" this time it was Remus.

"No. And hopefully he won't." Harry chuckled at the thought of the expression on Stan's face if he found 'another' Neville around.

Just as Ern took the bus around a tight curve which resulted in some houses jumping out of the way (& Tonks screaming), Harry looked around to see the bus was empty except for them.

"1, Grimmauld Place in 1 minutes time." Harry thought that Stan's voice seemed like that of a football commentator. Obviously, Stan had grown quite a bit from the last time Harry had seen him. Also, his voice had changed a bit.

Harry & Remus got to their feet and managed to get hold of a rod when the bus screeched to a halt. Tonks, who had been less lucky, was thrown off her feet and slided towards the front of the bus. She got up cursing herself under her breath. Both Remus and Harry smiled to each other. Even though everyone knew that Tonks had a habit of stumbling over things (or whatever it was on her path), she made each of the cases look very unique.

"Here you go. Nice having you and your friends, Neville."

"Nice to see you - and Ern once again, Stan." This comment from Harry seemed to broaden the smile on Stan's face. Another loud BANG and the Knight Bus was off.

"Ok, get moving fast" Remus was looking around him just to make sure no one else was there.

Soon all of them reached 12, Grimmauld Place which was the headquarters of the Order of Phoenix. Harry went in after Tonks (who stumbled again at the entrance) and Remus brought up the back. As soon as Harry entered the house, he expected Sirius to run out to meet him. But today, there was no Sirius. He sighed and started to move towards the dining room while the photograph of Sirius's mother started screaming at them. Harry turned to Remus & asked "You guys could do nothing to shut her up?"

Remus shook his head and said "All of us have tried, even Dumbledore, but no one can shut her up or take off the photograph from the wall"

Harry pondered on this for a second and said "If no one can take her off the wall, then take the wall off" which resulted in Remus & Tonks getting confused. "I mean, she is attached to the plaster on the wall. Just take off the plaster"

Suddenly the portrait became quite as the meaning of Harry's words became clear to all present. They both looked at Harry as if Harry had grown brains as big as pumpkins.

"Don't look at me like that. It's called common sense" with that Harry turned away to find something.

Remus & Tonks nodded and within seconds they had taken of the painting along with quite a bit of the plaster.

"When you guys are done, just bring her in here." shouted Harry from the dining room. Inside, they found Harry with a bottle of whiskey.

"Hey, you are not supposed to drink that stuff" Tonks said with an edge to her voice. Apparently, she was still a bit angry with Harry & also was a bit tired.

Harry just smiled and asked "You guys know some good cleaning spells, right?" Remus nodded in agreement while Tonks stayed still. "Just place the photograph here." Harry said pointing to a place before him. They did as they were told. Harry opened up the bottle of whiskey & poured it over the photograph which was now constantly shouting "NO, YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME"

"Oh yeah, we can" said Harry quietly. Remus, who by this time had got hold of the idea, was standing with his wand ready. When Harry nodded, he muttered something which lead to a tiny red light been emitted from his wand. The light hit the photograph which started to burn. After about 5 ear-shattering minutes, all that remained of the photograph was some black ashes. Remus cleared this up with just a swish of his wand.

"Is Kreacher still here?" Harry's voice sounded so cold and full of hatred that both Tonks and Remus were startled. Not getting a reply Harry asked once again "Is – Kreacher – still - here?" this time more slowly to make his intent clear. If Kreacher was still here then Remus would have to clear up some more ashes.

"No Harry, he went to serve Bellatrix." It was Remus who replied since Tonks was still staring at Harry. No one had ever heard of so much hatred in Harry's voice, not even when he spoke of Voldemort.

"You sure?" Harry asked not believing he won't be getting a chance to get even with Kreacher though he was only a house-elf. Remus just nodded his head.

"Ok. I just hope that Bellatrix does not kill him." Remus still looked grimly at Harry while Tonks shuddered at this 'wishful' thinking of Harry. Remus seemed thoughtful. This Harry didn't seem to be the one which he knew. This Harry seemed to be too eager to take revenge. But, then again, the day Sirius had died, Remus had come back here with the same intention but had found that Kreacher had escaped.

"Ok. Everyone wait here while I go and have a look whether Dobby is here or not" Tonks broke the uneasy silence. Soon Tonks was back.

"Hey Tonks" Tonks looked up "I am sorry for whatever I said. I mean, I know what I meant but I didn't want to make it personal." Harry looked Tonks dead in the eye when he said this. Tonks just nodded her head in understanding.

"What was that about?" Remus seemed perplexed.

"Well, when I saw the dark mark over my home, Tonks held me back – for my own good. Well, let's say that nowadays, I do not like to be held back by others & I just let off some steam." Remus silently listened to it.

"Hey, you don't know a simple cleaning spell?" Harry asked Tonks and managed to change the direction of the conversation.

"Well, mom does that. I just…well…" Tonks seemed embarrassed. Remus & Harry both laughed at Tonks's embarrassment making the environment light at the expense of Tonks.

"Ok, OK…I will learn it. Tell me the incantation Remus." But Remus reacted as if he had heard nothing. This went on for about 5 minutes until everybody felt hungry. "Ok Dobby, bring it on." Tonks shouted towards the kitchen. Soon everyone was busy eating.

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"So, what happened tonight?" was the first question Dumbledore asked when he came in with Moddy, McGonagall and Snape. This was quite unlike Dumbledore because he always used to first ask Harry how he was or how he was feeling. So this is what Dumbledore is like when he is proved wrong, Harry thought. This is the Dumbledore who cares more for Harry Potter than just for Harry. Also, there was no twinkling in his eyes today.

Tonks filled them up with the details (including Harry's scar-attack as Tonks described it) leaving out the part of the one-way conversation that Harry had with her. Harry felt grateful to her but he wasn't afraid of anything which she might have said about him. After all, they were his true feelings and why should he bother hiding them.

"Now Harry…" Dumbledore looked around at Harry after he was satisfied with Tonks's update of the scenario.

"No professor. Let me ask you something." Harry interjected much to the astonishment of everybody there. No student had ever talked to the headmaster in the tone in which Harry spoke.

Dumbledore said nothing & just nodded.

"Are the Dursley's ok?" even Harry felt surprised that this was his first question. Dumbledore just nodded. Seeing that he wouldn't be able to get much more out of Dumbledore in this fashion, Harry decided that this had to be a point-to-point question/answer round for Dumbledore.

"What did they say about this…and about me?"

"Well, they were very scared, especially your Aunt. She has an idea of what that mark means. Also, they never want to see you again."

"Good" Harry felt grateful that at least something good had come out of this whole thing. "Then inform them that their wish will be fulfilled." Dumbledore didn't say anything about this.

"What about the ministry aurors? How did they come to know about this?"

"Well Harry, the ministry has special magical objects which can identify the appearance of the mark. They are kind of the radar like things which the muggles use. So that answers your questions, right?" Dumbledore was trying to get down to his questions now.

"No professor. There are some more. Hopefully, _you don't mind_." Professor McGonagall looked shocked at this statement and pursed her lips. The others also seemed surprised. Everyone knew that Dumbledore cared for Harry very much and they didn't expect these kind of remarks from Harry.

"What did Fudge say?"

"Well, the minister wanted to know where you are. Some of the aurors had reported that they had seen you get on the Knight Bus in front of them. I just informed him that you were at a safe location."

_SAFE_. Privet Drive was supposed to be safe too. But Harry decided to restrain himself for the moment.

"My last question professor, who did it and how could this happen?" this question seemed to trouble Dumbledore but there was no escaping it. Everyone in that room wanted to know the answer to that.

"Well…I have been doing some thinking about it. I believe it was Voldemort himself" this seemed to shock everyone there. No one expected Voldemort to expose himself so soon after the recent events of DoM where he had lost many of his faithful death-eaters to the ministry.

"But professor…" Snape stopped when Dumbledore raised his hand.

"I know what you were about to say Severus but I find no other explanation. _That_ house is or rather was protected beyond anything you can imagine. I believe everyone apparated right in front of the house and was also able to disapparate from there. Even the Knight Bus was able to reach it. All this is or might I add 'was' impossible until before tonight's events."

"How come? Is it something like the Fidelius charm?" it was Remus who spoke this time.

"Well, it's similar to that in a sense but way too much powerful. It covers almost all types of threats. None of the things, like apparition or the Knight Bus or the Dark Mark could have been there. BUT tonight, all of them were there." Dumbledore let out a large sigh. Everyone waited for him to continue.

"Tonight, I presume Voldemort was able to penetrate through all this."

"But how sir?" Harry asked.

"Ah Harry, do you remember how Voldemort came back?" Harry nodded. "Well, my theory is that the blood relation between you and Voldemort let him get there tonight. But mind you, he himself could not proceed all the way to the house. Just around the house, there are stronger wards. When he was able to penetrate the outer wards, we didn't notice because of the blood relation. But the inner wards detect the intentions of the person towards you. As soon as he reached those, he was unable to go further. At that point, I was notified that the wards were under attack. So, I apparated there as soon as I could. As for the dark mark, I think he sent it up in desperation." Dumbledore finished.

Everyone sat stunned for a while. No one had ever thought Voldemort could be so bold.

"But then why didn't he do this before?" suddenly this question seemed too obvious to Harry.

"Well, I have another theory for that. When he came back, he was not as strong as he is today. He has been gaining strength for the past 1 year. Also, it may be that he had never thought of this as a possibility. He was so busy getting the prophecy last year that he might have not thought of it. Coming to his actions tonight, I don't think he did it on purpose. He sort of 'tried' it and it clicked. I think this was an act of desperation than of self-belief."

"Desperation?" Tonks asked

"Yes. Voldemort has lost many of his followers. Also he couldn't get the prophecy. Maybe he just wanted to finish this chapter of his life with his own hands." Dumbledore concluded. "Well, I think all of us had a busy night. We should all retire." said Dumbledore as he got up.

"Oh professor, will I see you here tomorrow? I have some things to discuss." Harry's voice seemed to have urgency.

"Of course Harry. Will the afternoon be ok?" a bit of twinkling in Dumbledore's eyes were back. Harry nodded. "Oh, can someone say why Mrs. Black is so quite tonight?".

Tonks told Dumbledore about what Harry had suggested. The twinkling seemed to grow a bit. "Good job Harry. I never thought of that myself." Dumbledore said as he turned to leave. Harry nodded again & said 'Good Night' to everyone who was leaving.

"You remember your room, Harry? On the second floor?" Tonks asked. Harry nodded. He retired to his room along with the others. There were sufficient rooms in the black manor for about 10 people. So Tonks and Remus had no problems settling themselves. Harry just hoped that he would have a good night's sleep without having any bad dreams.

[][][][]

"Slept well har?" Tonks seemed to be back in her high spirits at the breakfast table. Harry just nodded in reply. "Well, I gotta go. Duty calls." Tonks finished her breakfast and went out. She was an auror at the ministry. Both Harry & Remus couldn't hide a smirk when they heard Tonks stumbling (again) at the doorway.

"Well Harry, what do you plan to do today?" Remus asked. Harry pondered over this question for a while & replied "Maybe I should take a leafout of Hermione's life. I will stay at the library for a while." Harry had been thinking about his living here from early morning onwards. He had decided that everything will have to be done when the right time came. But for now, he would have to turn over a fresh leaf in his life…even if it would be for a short period.

"Ok. Just call me or Dobby if you need something." Remus finished up his breakfast and went to his room to finish some of his pending work. Apparently, Dobby was now working for the Order after Kreacher left.

Harry went to the library and started to look for the things which he wanted most. The first was a book which had a detailed mention of the Fidelius charm. Harry went through it very carefully. It seemed a very strong bit of magic since the book said that not many wizards or witches could perform it satisfactorily. Many would place something under the Fidelius charm which would reappear after a few minutes or hours. It mentioned that for someone to perform the Fidelius charm, he/she had to concentrate on the object very thoroughly. It should be such that in their inner mind, they had to have an almost perfect picture of the object they wanted to hide. Harry decided to try it on a small bottle (which Dobby had provided him when asked for). He tried to concentrate so that he could 'see' the bottle inside-out. He tried to view every curve of the bottle within his mind. All he could visualize was the outer portion of the bottle. All of a sudden, he noticed that it was time for lunch. He had not noticed that he had spent over 5 hours doing this. He closed the book and replaced it back at its place. When he arrived at the dining table, he saw Remus already sitting there. Both had a quite lunch and went back to their works. Harry waited in the library for Dumbledore to come. After about an hour, Dumbledore arrived.

"Sorry, I am a bit late. Have you been waiting for long?" Harry just gave a weak smile in return. "So Harry, you wanted to say something?"

"Well professor, I don't have much to say about what happened yesterday but there is something I haven't told you yet." Harry went on to recount his dream of Voldemort talking to Wormtail. Dumbledore seemed to be in deep thought when Harry interrupted his chain of thoughts "Sir, I think Voldemort may be trying to implant more images in my mind so as to mislead ALL of us." Harry said.

"You may be right Harry. From what you just said, I think you want me to help you out a bit with this, right?" the twinkling was back in his eyes now. Harry just nodded in reply.

"So, when do you want to start your Occulmency classes with me?" Harry had been expecting this question. So much like Dumbledore, he knew just about _everything_.

"As soon as possible. How about we start right now?" Harry asked. Dumbledore smiled at the reply.

"I don't have much time today but I will still give you some basic idea about Occulmency." With this, Dumbledore talked about the basic principles for about half-an-hour. "I have to leave now Harry." He said looking at his watch. "Think over what I have said just now." Dumbledore turned to leave.

"Professor, when will you come back for these classes?"

"How about everyday for 2 hours in the afternoon around the same time as today?" Harry seemed pleased at the reply. His smile gave the required reply to Dumbledore. Dumbledore gave an acknowledging smile as he left.

After Dumbledore left, Harry went back to trying to visualize the bottle for his Fidelius charm practice but couldn't make any headway. Too tired, he had an early dinner and went up to his room saying a quick 'Good Night' to Remus (Tonks had still not returned). Once in his room, he decided to go over what Dumbledore had said to him. To master Occulmency, Harry had to get a control over his mind, had to understand what he wanted others to see & what to keep to himself. He started by what Dumbledore had said to him – meditation. He started his meditation as Dumbledore had instructed him to do, sitting down in the lotus position and closing his eyes. Initially, he could feel everything that was around him, even the fluttering of the window curtains seemed quite easy to distinguish. But after about 10 minutes, some of the objects around got blurred in his inner mind. Slowly, his mind fell into absolute darkness. It seemed that he was looking inside his mind. Suddenly he felt very calm. There were no problems, no attacks, no Voldemort, no deaths, nothing at all to distract him. It seemed like he had reached a place where there was nothing other than peace. And he started liking it very much. He could _see_ a lot of things, like Cedrics death. But this time, it was not with the pang of guilt which always overtook him when he thought about it. This time he saw it from the perspective of a third person. This time, as he saw the entire thing happen again, he felt that he could not have done anything to save Cedric. He never had a chance to do it. He felt that if he had a chance and had failed to save Cedric, then it might be worth blaming himself. Seeing that he didn't even have the time to react to the circumstances, he started to believe for the first time that _he_ was not to be blamed. If anyone was to be blamed, which should be the case for the untimely death of any human, then that was Voldemort – and Wormtail.

Suddenly, Harry came back to reality. As soon as he found the correct person responsible for cerdic's death, his concentration broke a bit, making him aware of the surroundings. "That's enough for the first day." Harry murmured as he looked at the clock on his room. He had been meditating for around 25 minutes. "Ok, I will be able to have more control on my mind in the coming days. Then I will be able to regulate the timing's myself…hopefully."

Harry lay back on his bed and went over his meditation part. His meditation had shown him things from a different perspective. Also, he believed that _this_ new perspective was the right one. If only he could see this correct picture in reality everywhere, without his eyes closed…he decided that he will practice meditation regularly. With this thought, Harry went to sleep. If anyone had watched him that night, then they would have been able to see the calmness on his face as he slept.

[][][][]

"Hey, you look different today. Seems like you had a good night's sleep." Tonks said as Harry got down for his breakfast. "I agree" Remus joined in.

"Well, yeah…I had a sound sleep after many days." Remus frowned at this remark but Harry's smile seemed reassuring to him.

"You got back late yesterday?" this time it was Harry who had asked the question.

"Well, the minister called all the aurors to his office and gave a lecture about how to trace you. You should have seen him speaking. It seemed as if he had just finished his 100'th successful rescue mission." Tonks growled.

Harry & Remus were just listening to her quietly. No one dared to pass any comment now. Obviously, yesterday had not been a good day at the office for the ministry aurors.

Tonks gave a full description of what Fudge had said. Fudge had pointed out that Harry was becoming dangerous. He had even talked of the possibility that Harry had sent up the dark mark. Obviously, he & Dumbledore did not believe in the same theory. Suddenly Tonks looked at her watch and went flying out, murmuring something like "have to meet Fudge to explain where I was _that_ night…". Her _flying out_ was only interrupted by a short curse as she stumbled on the doorway. Everyone, except Tonks, found this the most normal thing to happen. It seemed even Dobby knew it was going to happen because, as Tonks ran out, every sound from the kitchen stopped. After the sound of Tonks stumbling reached everyone, a short giggle followed by sounds implied that Dobby had resumed his work.

Today was like just the previous day for Harry. He took the bottle in the library & started concentrating on it's shape again. This was becoming really hard. "How am I supposed to know the interior of the bottle?" the book said that to hide all the surfaces, he had to visualize all of them. He smiled at the hought of what this house would have looked like if the outer walls had been hid only to reveal all of the insides to everyone on the road. Suddenly Harry had an idea. The writer had said that to hide something using the Fidelius charm, one had to visualize the objects one wanted to hide. Harry had taken this sentence too literally. Suddenly he realized that he had avoided doing the easy thing first. He had to visualize the bottle as a whole and not as something which was made with many curves & joints. If he did that, then the _whole_ bottle will be hidden. He kicked himself for been so daft.

This now seemed an easier option. Harry was still having trouble thinking of the bottle as a whole but still it seemed easier than trying to guess what the inner sides would look like. He had spent almost half-an-hour thinking of the bottle as a solid object but the shape never took a clear form in his mind. It always seemed a bit hazy. Mind…did someone say _mind_. Harry thought about this & kicked himself again (_oh, I shouldn't make this a habit. It hurts_). He took the bottle in his hands and had a good look at it from all the angles. He then set it down on the library desk once more and closed his eyes. Slowly, he felt the surroundings starting to fade. After about 10 minutes, he was able to have a peek into his mind once again. It seemed his eyes were looking directly at some _solid_ thing which people called a mind. He could _see_ various thoughts of himself, his friends, Hogwarts etc. he started concentrating & tried to visualize the bottle. He still couldn't do it. Then it occurred to him that he didn't need to _visualize_ the bottle. It was already implanted in his mind. He had seen it from every angle possible so his brain had recorded everything. Slowly, he started to try to shift his thoughts. It was difficult to begin with. He wasn't able to do anything on his own. His thoughts seemed to move freely as it they had a mind of their own. Suddenly, the bottle came into view. _There it was_. A perfect 3 dimensional figure. He could see it…he could see it. He was very ecstatic. This blurred his vision and his concentration broke. He opened his eyes and looked at his watch. 35 minutes, he smiled. So I was able to hold on for long enough to find the exact thing I was searching for, Harry seemed very happy at this thought. As Harry was thinking about it, Remus opened the door.

"You don't seem to be reading anything. I thought a library was meant for reading." Remus said.

"Actually I was meditating a bit. Dumbledore said it would help me get a grip on my mind." Actually this was the truth, but in this case it was only half-true. Harry didn't want anyone to know he was trying to learn the Fidelius charm.

Remus seemed satisfied with the answer. "Ok buddy, let's go & have some lunch."

"So, what have you…been doing lately?" Harry asked, pausing to take another bite from his plate.

"Some Order business, Harry." Remus replied. He knew that Harry didn't like to be excluded from news regarding Voldemort or death-eaters but he also couldn't tell anyone outside the order of their finding. On seeing the look on Harry's face and before Harry could comment any further, Remus added "I am sorry I am unable to say more. You understand that I can't tell you about the Order, don't you Harry? I have sworn myself to secrecy. Do you want me to break it?"

It looked to Harry that all he had to say was an 'yes' to Remus and he would answer Harry's every question but Harry couldn't bring himself to do it as much as he would have liked himself to do it. "No" came the answer.

The pained look on Remus's face faded away. He knew how hard it had been on Harry the past few months. He knew how he himself wanted to reach out & take Harry in his arms, hug him and tell him everything he knew. But he knew that all this was impossible. At least, for now.

"Have I come too late?" a jovial voice said from the doorway.

"Oh professor, you are just in time. We have only just begun." Remus said to the figure in white who had something in his mouth (_lemon drops most probably, Harry thought)_. "Dobby, the headmaster is here." Lupin continued.

He had hardly finished saying it when all the plates filled themselves up again with an extra plate coming into view. The conversation turned to the news about Hogwarts and how Hagrid was visiting some giants in the far-east to get them to fight on their side. When their lunch had been finished, Remus excused himself. Dumbledore got up & Harry followed him to the library.

"So Harry, did you do some meditation?"

"Yes sir. Last night I did some…for about 25 minutes. And I meditated about 35 minutes today also." Harry didn't want to go into the details of what he saw.

"And does today's meditation have something to do with this bottle on the table?" queried Dumbledore with twinkling eyes.

_Damn_. "Well, yes sir. Actually, I was trying to see this bottle in my mind but the thoughts were moving so fast that I could not see it properly. It seemed I had no control over the flow of my thought…" Harry trailed of satisfied at the explanation he had given for the bottle been there.

Dumbledore said nothing and carried on "Then you'll find today's lesson useful." With that, they started that days lesson.

[][][][]

This same routine went on for about a week. His daily schedule had some time for practicing the Fidelius charm. In a week, Harry was able to gain some control over his thoughts & their movements. He had been able to hold on the image of the bottle in his mind long enough to cast the incantation for the Fidelius charm. The bottle had been hidden from view for only 2-3 seconds but Harry felt quite happy with his progress. The rest of the time of the day, he read books on Occulmency, Meditation and Buddhism. Buddhist monks seemed to have quite a hold onto their minds. Well, if I have to fight Voldemort, then I will have to get a hold on my mind too, he thought. In a week's time, Harry had been able to stop Dumbledore once from probing his mind though it had been for a very short period of time. Dumbledore always took care not to search for something that might be too sensitive for him and Harry was also pleased with that.

On the eight day from his arrival at the headquarters, Dumbledore told him about that day's lesson which exited Harry very much though it also brought him a lot of grief. Dumbledore was starting to teach him how to distinguish between his own thoughts and that which had been implanted in his mind. If only he knew how to do this before then Sirius would have been alive, he thought.

"But professor, if I learn to stop Voldemort from entering my mind, then why do I have to do this? If he can't enter my mind, then I won't have any other thoughts than those which are my own."

"Very good Harry. I was expecting you to say this." _He always expects me do to everything. Even if I die today, he will say that he was expecting it._ "The thing is that, sometimes, you have to let others _inside_ your mind. Learning to block others is very nice but once the person who is trying to enter your mind senses that he is been unsuccessful, he will try other methods to achieve his goal. So, you see, just let the others access to some part of your mind and let them see things which, mind you, should not be too important to you or them. It should be some casual thoughts. If you do it in the correct fashion, then they will think that they have been successful in entering your mind. After that, they will implant images in your mind if they want to. In such a case, you will need to distinguish between your own & the new thoughts."

Harry saw that the logic behind this was correct. He was about to say something when Dumbledore continued…

"You see Harry, when someone is accessing your mind, a link opens between the two minds. In such a case, once you learn Legilimency, you will be able to access their minds without letting them know but only if you are careful enough. At such times, you will have to be VERY clear about which thoughts are your own. I hope I am clear about this." Dumbledore stated.

"Perfectly sir."

[][][][]

Harry's routine went unchanged for the next day. But the day after that, he had some surprise in store. Early morning, Dumbledore came in with a goblin. Apparently, he seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. Harry missed the introduction part as Tonks came running in to see who had come. Harry just said hello to the goblin & sat down when both Dumbledore and the goblin had seated themselves.

"Well Harry, Mr. Larynth here is in the department of Gringotts which keeps track of people's will. The subsequent transactions from the execution of the will is done by another portion of Gringotts. He has come here to discuss Sirius's will with you." These words almost freezed Harry to the spot. The whole scene at the DoM suddenly rushed back to him. He didn't even nod when Dumbledore asked "Are you ok Harry? Should we start?". Dumbledore waited for some time for Harry to recover and then nodded "Mr. Larynth, you may proceed now."

The goblin seemed to nod and took out a piece of parchment & read out the will. It seemed that when Bellatrix had been in Azkaban, Sirius had become the sole holder of the Blacks family valuables & vault. Sirius had made Harry the owner of everything he possed except for 12, Grimmauld Place which would be shared by both Harry and the Order of Phoenix. The goblin finished by asking Harry to come down to Gringotts in the next week to handle all the paperwork. When queried about why he hadn't brought it with himself, the goblin reminded Harry that he wasn't responsible for the actual transactions mentioned in the will. When all the things had been taken care of the goblin said goodbye to Harry and the headmaster got up to lead him up to the fireplace. "Gringotts, London branch" were the last words muttered by the goblin there.

"You are rich Harry, you are rich" Tonks seemed more excited than Harry himself. Obviously, anyone in Harry's position would have felt quite happy unless they could see what was going on in his mind. "Must meditate about the DoM" Harry made a mental promise to himself.

Apparently, from what Mr. Larynth had said, Harry was now the sole owner of Sirius's personal vault as well as the Black Family Vault. And going by the long line of the Black family & the size of this house, it must be quite a lot, Harry thought. "Family vault? Family vault? Do the Potters have a family vault too?" Harry asked himself. Not knowing he thought the best approach was to ask Dumbledore about it. Dumbledore came back after a while and just smiled towards Harry. Apparently, he was also happy at Harry's inheritance of the Black property. Only if he knew how much Harry would have loved to give away all the money to get back Sirius…

"Sir, I would like to go to Gringotts soon." Harry found himself speaking to Dumbledore after they had had lunch and were still sitting at the dining table. Remus had excused himself while Tonks (who had the day off) sat there, excited at the prospect of Harry owning so much. Dumbledore didn't seem pleased at this thought but the look on Harry's face gave him the impression that he desperately wanted go through his dead godfather's belongings.

"Ok Harry, just do one thing. Take someone with you ok? Either Remus or Tonks." Harry nodded knowing that this was not a question, rather a statement. "When do you plan to go?"

"Well sir, I have some things to do. Then I will see when I am able to go there." Harry replied truthfully though he knew that it wasn't the full truth. If only the others knew what he was up to, they would never let him step outside the headquarters.

"I will go with Harry. Remus is just too busy with the Order work sir" Tonks was almost jumping on her feet. Dumbledore just smiled at her and said "It's Harry who takes the decision."

"Harry Harry Harry….please…pretty please…I have never been to see even our family vault…pretty pretty please…"

"Hold on…ok ok, you get to come along." Tonks looked like she was getting ready for an adventure. It seemed she expected a treasure at the end of it. Of course, a treasure was there but not for her.

"Sir, I wanted to ask you some things for quite some time now."

"Go on Harry"

"Why are there no Order meeting been held?"

"Actually you see, we have been having some meetings of a very select group of people. As most of them are at Hogwarts, you won't have any trouble guessing their names, we meet at my office for anything important. But we have had only one meeting in the days since you have come here."

"And what about the death-eater activities?"

"Yes, yes. I have also been thinking about it. It seems that Voldemort is trying to recruit some new death-eaters. Many people have been reported missing for only a night or two. Their family members had no idea about where they had been but it is our assumption that they have been been recruited. Voldemort is short of death-eaters at this moment."

"So why isn't Fudge do anything about this sir?"

"Well Harry, it seems our minister thinks that all these people have just been enjoying themselves for a night. He thinks this is perfectly normal for people of their age" _Harry's cheeks colored a little at this comment._ "Anyway, there is little or no scope for stopping these people. It is their choice to make"

"But sir, they surely know the consequences?"

"Yes. But they also know that if Voldemort is able to get his allies together then he will be virtually unstoppable. There will be no ministry, no Azkaban, no law to stop them unless someone stops Voldemort." His eyes glittered behind his glasses as he looked at Harry with a smile after this comment.

Harry just looked at him and then shrugged himself to get to his next question.

"What about the Weasleys sir?"

This conversation went on for quite some time. Tonks had left the table and Dumbledore informed Harry that the Weasley were fine except that Molly Weasley was very concerned about Harry and wanted to come over here. Ron was also desperate to meet Harry but Dumbledore had said that Harry needed some time alone. After a big verbal fight (mostly from Mrs. Weasley while Dumbledore was trying to convince her), they had consented to leave Harry alone for a few more days. After another week, they would move over to the headquarters. Bill was now back at The Burrow. He was currently working for the London branch of Gringotts. Harry felt a bit grateful to Dumbledore that he had kept the Weasleys out. It was not that he ddn't like them. It was just that Mrs. Weasley was too protective of her. Also, Dumbledore had been right about what he said, Harry needed some time alone. It turned out that Hermione was ok too. She didn't know about the dark mark above Harry's home. Apparently, no one knew otherwise, Harry knew, there was no way to stop Mrs. Weasley from coming here (_Mr. Weasley surely knows. He must have kept quite_). Harry was also a bit angry that no one had written any letters to him but felt a bit grateful to them. At least, he was getting the space he needed. Also, he hadn't written to them either, so they must have thought that he didn't want to be disturbed.

[][][][]

The next 3 days went by in a dizzy. Harry had made it a routinue to get up at 5:30 in the morning, have a slight workout & then he started to meditate. His routine ended again with meditation till 12:00 at night. He had been working really hard on his mind. He had been able to successfully block Tonks probe into his mind when he had asked for her help. He knew that to keep his mind protected from someone of Dumbledore's or Voldemort's power, he had to concentrate and practice even more. He had imagined his mind as a dome shaped structure (_at least, that's what the brain looked like, he thought_) and had divided it into a small outer dome and a large inner dome. He tried to keep the day-to-day _natural_ thoughts in his outer shell while the inner one was his private chambers. He was now able to shift his thoughts with a bit of difficulty but Dumbledore had assured him that with time, it would become very easy. He had even grasped the basics of distinguishing between his own thoughts and images planted by others. Slowly but surely, the progress he had made in the past 13 days had been more than in the past year he had practiced with Snape. He had even been able to block Dumbledore from getting into his private thoughts twice more. His Fidelius charm practice had progressed a lot too. He was now able to hide the bottle completely until he gave the password. He had even hidden some of the books in the library which he didn't want others to access (_he had found out quite a number of books which were very useful in understanding dark wizards thinking_). Overall, he was very pleased and felt that he would now be able to progress on himself. Also, he felt he was now ready to go to Gringotts for the execution of Sirius's will.

[][][][]

"Tonks, hurry up or I will go alone." This was the third time Harry was calling Tonks but Tonks did not reply. He started pacing around when Tonks appeared. "What took you so long?" Harry stared at her.

"Sorry har, Order business" came the guilty reply. Harry immediately felt sorry for being rude again. "Oh sorry Tonks, I don't know why I scream at you. I apologize." Harry replied. This seemed to improve her mood. She just nodded, looking towards the Harry and asked "Can we leave?"

"This is so unlike Tonks. She always is so cheerful. Even after my apology, she looks glum. What Order business did she have? Dumbledore knew that I would be going today, then why did he hold up Tonks so long? Maybe she has done something wrong for which Dumbledore…no, he wasn't the type who reprimanded someone. Then what is so wrong that Tonks won't look me in the eye?" Harry got lost in his thoughts. Even though Tonks looked cheerful now (_also she had blonde hair_), Harry just knew something was wrong.

"Hey har, can we go?"

Harry looked at Tonks for a long second. He was sure Tonks was hiding something which he should know. Then he tried something which he had never done before. If there was one thing Harry had learnt from Dumbledore which could make other's uncomfortable, it was that 'one should always look confident even though he may not be'. He was trying to do exactly that.

"Tonks, what is it that you are hiding?" Tonks was taken aback at this question.

"Harry, how…how did you…you…sorry…" Tonks stuttered. This was enough for Harry.

"What are you sorry about?" Harry asked, looking confidently but growing very curious.

"We should go now. I will tell you in Diagon Alley." Tonks replied in a hushed voice. Harry gave her a look which she couldn't interpret and nodded. They went up to the fireplace & soon came out at Diagon Alley.

As they were walking towards Gringotts Harry gave Tonks a questioning look. Tonks squirmed uncomfortably at this look. After a long second, she said "Dumbledore wanted me to ensure that you didn't bring anything unwanted to the headquarters."

Harry looked a bit relieved. "Now that I can't promise or rather won't promise. You know, I have to do that." In response to Tonks frightened look Harry continued "Ok…don't get jumpy…Fred and George have opened their new shop and I daresay that I will buy something for Remus."

"No. that is not the point" Her voice seemed to fade away. They were very near to Gringotts when Harry stopped and turned to her "What do you mean?"

"Keep walking, there are several Order members out here." Tonks whispered as she tried to pull him along.

"WHAT? Are you saying that they are _following_ us?" Harry's whisper carried all the rage in him. The rage which he had kept buried under a smiling face for the past 14 days could be clearly seen on his face. Tonks looked at him for a moment and stumbled. No one would have thought that was unusual but only Tonks knew the real reason. The fury on Harry's face was beyond anything she had seen. She had never thought that Harry could be so frightful. No wonder, he had fought the dark lord twice and escaped.

"Well, actually, they are trying to safeguard us." Tonks was trying to keep her voice from quavering.

"Are there any death-eaters in the vicinity?" suddenly Harry's fury seemed to leave him and he seemed a bit concerned and happy. "If there are, then I could have some fun." His voice seemed to have a strange tinge to it.

"No. actually, no one wants you to bring back anything from the Black Vault." Tonks replied. She was afraid that if she held back things from Harry now then he will be angrier at her later at the headquarters. By what she had already seen in his reaction, she knew she would have more than she could handle.

"So that's it, is it?" Harry asked. "We'll have to wait for that."

With that, Harry led the way towards the Gringotts entrance followed by a nervous Tonks. After all the paperwork had been done, the goblin asked whether Harry would like to visit the vaults. After an affirmative nod from Harry, the goblin escorted him to a cart and said "Nirmuck here will take you to the vaults". A small goblin came forward. He stared at Harry, reading every detail minutely, stopped for a moment at Harry's scar and then stopped his examination. Obviously the scar had come in handy at many times, Harry thought since he didn't like the examination. After a whirlwind ride, they reached Sirius's own vault. He collected some things and went on to the Black Family Vault. He took more than an hour to look around. Again, he picked up many things and handed them to Tonks who looked like she had been asked to drink the skele-gro potion. Every time Harry gave her something, she would shrink them and put them in her bag which had been charmed to be feather-light. After everything had been taken which seemed necessary to Harry, he turned around to Nirmuck. "Nirmuck, could you please give me some information?" Harry was at his best behavior. He knew that goblins could be put off very easily. Also, he was cursing himself inwardly for forgetting to ask Dumbledore.

"If it is in my hands, then I will do it." came the reply.

"Is there any Potter Family Vault?" Nirmuck nodded in reply. "Can I access it?" Nirmuck seemed at a loss. It seemed like he was trying to remember all the laws of Gringotts which may be violated by doing this. Harry concluded that this was a very young wizard because of the time he took to reach the decision. After a long silence Nirmuck nodded obviously satisfied that he was not breaking any rule.

"But Harry, you are not supposed to go there. You will have to ask Dumbledore for his permission." Tonks immediately knew she had said something wrong. She started to look away from Harry.

"Look Tonks, can we talk about this later?" came the civil reply. Knowing that nothing could be done now, Tonks nodded. Again a whirlwind ride took them to the Potter Family Vault. Once there, Harry queried "How do I open it? I don't have the key."

Nirmuck looked at Harry and said "You don't need a key to open this vault. All you have to do is walk right through the door."

At this, Harry stared at him. What did this goblin think about him, a fool who would just walk straight and bang his head on a thick door of god-knows how many charmed metals. He was about to say something when he remembered about the entrance to platforms 9 ¾. He nodded at the goblin and went straight ahead. Harry tried to touch the door once he reached it. Instead of coming in contact with solid metal, his arm went straight through it. Harry quickly pulled back his arm and looked at it with disbelieve. He heard Tonks gasp behind him. Then he summoned up his Gryffindor courage and walked straight ahead.

The whole world seemed to burst into songs around him. But it held only for a second as he walked straight through the door. He looked back and saw that he could clearly see the goblin and Tonks outside though they couldn't see him (_Tonks looked close to panic_). It seemed the door was made of glasses he had seen in movies where police interrogation took place (_Why does my uncle have to see such violent movies and then think of me as the villain?_). He then looked around the room and his eyes spread wide. He sure was glad that he hadn't asked Dumbledore for permission to come here.

After another hour, Harry came out with a sack in his hand. He had found the sack inside and seemed to have quite a bit of problem dragging it. The effect of pulling this heavy luggage seemed to cover up the excitement on his face. Tonks came running and instantly shrunk it and put it her bag. Then both of them were off towards the Gringotts office. He didn't feel like enquiring for Bill Weasley today. As they walked out of the door, Harry said "Tonks, promise me you won't tell Dumbledore about this." Tonks didn't answer. After walking for sometime, she said, "I won't tell him what you took but I will tell him you took something and if he wanted to know about it then he will have to talk to you. But I won't tell him that you visited your family vault. After all, he had asked me to just cover your visit to the Black Vault." Harry seemed satisfied with this answer. This may turn out better than I thought, he smiled inwardly.

They then went back to the headquarters using the floo network. Once there, Harry asked Tonks to follow him to his room. Once there, he took the bag from Tonks and took out his things. He asked Tonks to enlarge everything back to their original size. Tonks did as she was told and then left. Harry took a bunch of papers which he had got from the Black Family Vault. When he took away the papers from the vault, he got only a copy of the original. Apparently, Gringotts didn't allow anyone to take away the originals unless they made a written application. Harry went through some of the papers and his eyes lit up. Suddenly, two voices started to speak in his head. Harry sat down to think. He started meditating. He wanted to decide which one of the voices in his head was correct. After another 30 minutes, he had decided what to do.

Tonks and Remus were sitting near the fireplace when Harry came down. He looked at Tonks questioningly since he was sure that Dumbledore had heard of her report. Not getting a reply, Harry sat down on the empty chair next to them and said "Remus, I wanted to say something." Remus nodded with a questioning look.

"Well, I am going to be 16 in a few weeks. I hope we will be able to celebrate it together. But before that, I wanted to make sure of some thing. I have thought of taking some decisions on my own. Apparently, some people believe that I am still a _child_." Tonks squirmed uncomfortably in her chair as Remus kept wondering where this was leading to. "Well Remus, I hope you will support me when you know the reasons. After Sirius, you…" his voice trailed off. Both of them knew that they just had each other to call a family, at least in emotional terms. "Well, that's what I wanted to say. Thanks for listening."

As Harry got up, Tonks said in a tone which Harry come to connect to her been nervous at the time "Dumbledore will talk to you tomorrow."

Harry gave her a smile and nodded.

That night, no one noticed a skinny 15 year old boy walking up to the house 1, Grimmauld Place, dragging a very heavy trunk since he wasn't allowed to do magic outside school until the age of 17. That boy stuck up a wand, paid the conductor & got onto the bus for an unknown location. If someone had looked closely at him, they would have been able to see a satisfied smile on his face.

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**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 3'rd chapter :)

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	4. A New Beginning

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 4 – A New Beginning**

That night, no one noticed a skinny 15 year old boy walking up to the house 1, Grimmauld Place, dragging a very heavy trunk since he wasn't allowed to do magic outside school until the age of 17. That boy stuck up a wand, paid the conductor & got onto the bus for an unknown location. If someone had looked closely at him, they would have been able to see a satisfied smile on his face.

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"Hey Neville. Your destination." Stan Shunpike shouted over to the boy he knew as Neville Longbottom. Harry looked to Stan and nodded. He picked up his trunk and Hedwig's empty cage (Hedwig had gone along before him) and proceeded towards the door as the Knight Bus ground to a halt. An ear-shattering bang behind him announced the departure of the bus.

Harry looked around to see the place. There were some houses here and there but not many. The signboard on the streets looked quite old and the road seemed to be in a bad condition. There were many oak trees around which looked hundreds of years old. The place had an eerie feeling to it not to mention that it was 2:30 in the night. It had taken almost 1 hour for Harry to get there. All-in-all, this place seemed one straight out of the horror movies with great big trees added in the surroundings. Finished with his inspection, Harry dragged his trunk along the street with as little noise as possible. His destination was a 5 minutes walk from the outskirts of the village. With great difficulty and paining limbs, he finally reached the house he was looking for, finding Hedwig sitting on the front gate. Harry looked at the house. It looked similar to the other houses which were at the village – old, rusty gates and battered by the weather. But this one looked like no one had touched it for many decades. He could see large pieces of the plaster had crumbled down and the walls had a lot of damp in them. The windows were all boarded up. A look at the house made Harry feel gloomy. This was not what he had expected when he had gone through the estate papers of the Blacks. It had mentioned that the Blacks had used this for refuge during the goblin revolutions. Harry had the notion that it may have been some kind of a castle since it was supposed to have held the whole of the Black family which wasn't small in any sense. But what he now encountered was a small house like that in the rest of the village. Also, it seemed that no one had been near this house for many a year, he thought looking at the weeds around the house. Of course, this was a two storied building whereas the houses in the village were only single storied but this did not help Harry's mood. He had not expected 3, Sunshine Villa to be so gloomy.

With a nod to Hedwig, who also hooted her disagreement at the house, he proceeded to open the door. Once inside, he saw a small fire flicker to life. Ok, at least something around here works, Harry tried to convince himself. He put his trunk on the floor and took out the estate papers. According to them, it was supposed to be 7-stories high along with a basement and dungeons. It was also supposed to be fully decorated. Well, maybe the building got destroyed in the goblin war and they had to rebuild it in this manner, he thought. He also started wondering whether Professor Binns, their History of Magic teacher, had ever mentioned anything about a place named Sunshine Villa (_why does he make it so boring that I fall asleep?_). He sat down on a couch near the fireplace pondering these thoughts. Suddenly, he saw a tapestry on the left hand side of the fireplace. He went over and had a look at it. It was similar to the one he had seen at 12, Grimmauld Place except for the fact that it only contained the names of the legitimate owners of this particular house. Harry was wondering whether being an owner of this house would make one proud or sad when he saw the name Sirius Black near the bottom-end of the tapestry. He touched the name, moving his fingers over it gently and all the emotions of Sirius came back to him. Maybe Sirius wanted to share this place with Harry. If Sirius had been there, then even this gloomy place would have looked so much better. When Harry opened his eyes after a few seconds, he saw that another name was present beneath Sirius's name. Upon closer inspection, he saw his name present there. Obviously, this had to be a magical self-updating tapestry. But his name seemed to be of a different color than that of the others. It was emerald green in color. He touched his name and absent mindedly said what was written on it (_in a very emotional voice_) "Harry James Potter". No sooner had he said this that a strange light started emitting from it. Harry staggered back at this effect. He hadn't been expecting something like this. This light seemed to spread all over the house. It seemed to light up every nook of the house in a brilliant emerald green light. Harry closed his eyes at this sudden effect. He could even feel the light hitting him. A strange kind of warmth spread through him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around. The light had started to fade but what greeted him left him speechless. As the light was fading, each part of the wall or furniture which it had touched was starting to change. Fires flickered alive in every parts of the house along with the appearance of a staircase. The whole of the house seemed to have been rebuilt and redecorated in a matter of seconds. Even the fireplace now had a bright look to it with its frame seemed to be made of what looked like a metal like steel. The couch, on which Harry was seated a few minutes, earlier seemed to have been replaced. The 'new' couch was made of the finest fabric with the sides been made of the finest wood. A look around the house gave Harry a glimpse of a huge cupboard, knight armors, 2 staircases – one going upwards and one going downwards (_must be going in to the basement, Harry thought_), 5 doorways –one of which seemed to lead to the kitchen, one to the bathroom, one to a drawing room and 2 guest rooms. One look at the staircase which led upstairs and Harry could see that the railings were made of the finest bronze available. He peeked upstairs and saw that there were at least 3 storey's. After his small inspection, he went back to look at the tapestry. His name was now written in the same color as that of the others. It also knew that the new master of the house had arrived.

Finally, exhaustion got the better of him. He dragged himself to one of the guest rooms, undressed and put on some pajamas and a tee-shirt. Without looking anywhere else (he knew that Hedwig had found herself a cozy place near the fire), Harry took off his glasses, threw himself on the bed and instantly fell asleep.

Next morning Harry woke up feeling a bit relaxed. But he couldn't recognize the place. How come Tonks or Remus hadn't shouted at him to get up? And…where the hell was he? He searched for his glasses and suddenly the whole world came into his view. Now he remembered. He was at his new home. He looked at his watch and was shocked to see that is was 7:30 in the morning. I should have got up at 5:30, he thought. But remembering how long he had been awake the previous night, he instantly forgave himself for been late. Ron would have cursed me if I had got him up at 7:30 during the holidays, Harry thought recalling the days he had spent at The Burrow. With these thoughts, he got up, brushed his teeth, did what-you-know and had a shower. Finally, as he was getting dressed, he felt very fresh. Today was going to be a new beginning for him.

Going to the kitchen, he found that there was only a single cupboard-type thing apart from the fact that it was kept on a platform which was about the height of his waist. He opened the door, thinking how nice it would be to have some toast and eggs and that was exactly what he found inside. He was a bit surprised to see it. He closed the door and opened it again, this time having a glass of orange juice in mind. This time his confusion was cleared as he found the required glass of juice waiting to be taken out. So, this is some kind of a magic food store, he thought. "Well, that's just the kind of thing I need till I can get someone to work for me. But who? Of course, it has to be Dobby. I'll have to ask Dumbledore to send Dobby over." Harry muttered to himself feeling quite pleased. He quickly finished his breakfast and wrote a letter to Dumbledore.

"Hedwig, please take this to Professor Dumbledore and wait for his reply." Hedwig took the letter and with a quick peck on Harry's fingers, went flying out of the window. "Now, to finish of the most important part of my first day here." With this Harry got up to inspect the house.

The house was really big. It was just like what had been written in the estate paper, it was a 7-storey building. The 7'th storey was a special one. There were more than 48 bedrooms present in the first six storey's, along with 1 common room on each floor. Each floor had 2 luxurious bathrooms – both large enough for a football team to have a shower together. Plus, there was a similar 'magical refrigerator', as Harry had started calling it, in each of the rooms. All the rooms had wonderful views of the surrounding area. As Harry peered outside, he noticed that the surroundings were not as bad as he had thought it had been. A little cleaning would make everything ok but as he did not wish to attract any attention, he let the idea go. Maybe when the war is over and he returns here…

The seventh floor was the most luxurious. It had just 2 suites, each having a luxurious bathroom attached to it. Both had their own common rooms and drawing rooms. Harry found it hard to imagine how the 2-storeyed house he had seen the previous night could have so much room and luxury. Harry peered into each and every corner of the house. Every nook of the house surprised him with the amount of decorations that were present. He even wondered why people spent so much money on decorations when many people did not get enough to eat or wear. He himself had wanted many things in his life but seeing so much luxury as this was also becoming a bit of a headache for him.

After having satisfied himself with all the floors, Harry went through the staircases which led towards the basement of the house. The basement seemed a huge room with nothing in it. It was almost the size of the quidditch pitch in Hogwarts, Harry thought. There seemed be one door at the far end of the basement. On opening the door, Harry found a staircase leading further below the house. Carefully climbing down, he saw that he had come to a place which looked like a log corridor. But as the fires on the walls flickered to life, he saw the view that was exactly the opposite of what was on top of him. The corridor had a long line of doors on either side but as he came up to the first door, he found that he was very much mistaken. These doors did not lead to any luxurious room or bathroom. Instead, they lead to some of the darkest dungeons Harry could ever imagine. Many of these dungeons had clamps on the walls which suggested that they had been used as prisons. With a grim smile, Harry completed his inspection.

It was still an hour to go before lunch so Harry decided to arrange all his things. He took his trunk to the room on the first floor which was the closest to the stairs. He didn't like the thought of climbing all these stairs every time he needed something. Also, he didn't want the suites on the 7'th floor because he found them just too much for his taste. "Maybe Draco Malfoy, but not me" Harry thought "and what the hell am I supposed to do with that huge place when I have the required space down here?" After setting down his trunk in a corner, Harry took out all the stuff one by one and started to arrange them in an orderly fashion (_been with Hermione sure helps in many ways_). Firstly he took out some of the books he had brought with himself. He placed the books he had brought over from the Potter Family Vault into the first and second rack of a cupboard. Then he took out all the books he had taken from the Black Family Vault and placed them in the third and fourth rack. Lastly came the books which he had taken from the Black Manor. The number of these books was relatively small, it took only one rack on the cupboard. After having finished, he looked at the books in the racks. There was an average of 28 books in 5 racks. "How the hell am I going to read all this?" He shrugged his shoulders in despair at the thought of having to read all this. But he knew that if he had to fulfill the first goal which he had set for himself at Privet Drive, then he had to go through all this. At least some of the stuff seemed to be an exciting read. He looked at the titles of the books he had – _An Auror's Handbook_, _Auror's Advanced Handbook_, _What To Expect From Dark Wizards_, _How To Keep Your Mind Clear_, _Occulmency & Legilimency – Their Relations_, _Emergency Healing Techniques_, _Advanced Healing Techniques & Potions_ – these were some of the books he had brought from the Potter Vault. The Black Vault had supplied some very important books too though some related to dark magic – _What Your Opponents Don't Expect_, _Using Magic To Clear Mudbloods_ (as if they were some insects, Harry smirked), _How To Use The Unforgivables Most Effectively_, _Magical Objects & Their Powers_, _Alternative Use Of All Spells_ (Harry quickly made the relation between the word _alternative_ with the word _dark_), _What You Should Do If You Want Power_. The other books which he had bought from the Black Manor were mostly related to Buddhism, Occulmency and the Fidelius charm. All in all, these books would provide him with some interesting reading, he thought. But the one book which was the most important for Harry right now was the one which he had taken from the Black Family Vault – "_How To Do Magic Without Anybody Noticing_". This book contained the recipe of a potion which, when taken by someone, kept him from been detected by others for doing any magic. It was a very ancient potion which took about an hour to prepare, which was really surprising because the potion seemed quite powerful in its effects. Harry had decided to prepare the potion after he had had his lunch. He had been collecting the ingredients for this potion for quite some days now. He took out the ingredients and the book and kept it in on the top-left corner of his bed.

He then took out a box with the initials _S.B._ on the top. He had taken this box from Sirius's vault. He had just one look inside it at that time which had made him take the box. Now that he had the chance, he wanted to explore it fully. Inside he found an assortment of dragon hide clothes. He knew that Sirius's was a more outgoing person than any of the other marauders. These types of garments could only have been in his possession & something which he must have been very proud of. Dragon hide garments were very expensive too. Harry knew that dragon hide clothes could reflect many curses & spells effectively. He checked out the things inside. There was a pant, a vest, a pair of boots, a belt, 2 wand hostlers which could be fitted on any part of the body and a pair of gloves. There was also a cowboy style hat and a cowboy style pistol hostler which could be attached to the belt. Trust Sirius to be stylish, Harry thought. At the bottom of the box lay a jacket. As Harry took out the jacket, he saw a note lying on the bottom of the box. He took out the note and opened it. He could recognize Sirius's handwriting immediately. Slowly, he started reading it.

_Happy 16'th Birthday Harry. Sorry for giving you used things but I thought you would like it. I bought this whole thing when I got out of Hogwarts. But I want you to use it before. Dragon hide is highly magic resistant. So, make it a habit of wearing it all the time. I don't mean to sound like Moody but he has a point about been 'always ready'. Anyway, dragon hide clothes get used to your skin in about a week, so it doesn't matter which size you buy. Also, wear them just above your skin for more protection but you can wear ONE thing inside if you get my meaning. Just wear it and show me, ok kiddo?_

_Love, _

_Sirius_

Harry finished the letter with tears streaming down his face. He re-read the letter once more. Sirius must have done this while he was at the headquarters' last year. Harry had known that Sirius used an owl mail to communicate with Gringotts. Maybe he had done it at that time. He had been so angry those days because he had been stuck up at that place, maybe he had just done this so that he could have rid himself of some boredom. Harry could clearly visualize the smiling face of Sirius when he was writing the note. As the face of Sirius came into his mental vision, the floodgates which had been holding for so long burst open, thinking and imagining – how happy he must have been when he was doing this.

It took Harry about 10 minutes to get a grip on himself again. He did what was going on in his mind at that time – undressed and put on all the pieces of dragon-hide clothes except for the jacket, hat & pistol hostlers. He fixed one of the wand hostler's to the inner side of his right forearm and placed his wand in it. It seemed to be the only thing that fit. All the others seemed to be large in all the places, after all, Sirius himself must have worn it a number of time, Harry thought. After putting on the all-black dress, he put on his tee-shirt. Even though it was feeling uncomfortable, he still liked the feeling of having something all the time which had been once Sirius's own. In a way, he felt Sirius was with him. He was about to put on his pants (the baggy ones of Dudley), he noticed a piece of parchment sticking out of one of dragon-hide jacket's pocket which he had failed to notice before. He stopped and read the parchment "Touch the wand to your pant and jacket and say _I solemnly swear I am up to no good_". Harry re-read the note once again, he knew that Sirius had the ability to pull any kind of pranks when he felt like doing it. Only Fred and George Weasley could give the marauders some competition. If truth be told, then everybody thought that Fred & George were the leaders. Harry decided to try it on the jacket first (_better not try it on my pants while I am wearing it, he thought_).

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good". As soon as these words came out of Harry's mouth the jacket seemed to change shape. Suddenly, all kinds of pockets appeared on it along with another note sticking out of one of the new pockets saying "Use this well". After seeing this, Harry managed to put together enough courage to touch his pants and say "I solemnly swear I am up to no good". As he looked on, he saw similar kinds of pockets of various sizes and shapes appearing. Again, there was a note in one of them.

_Harry, this is my favorite pant. It has many charms on it. Dragon-hide is a very powerful magical object in itself. I had got this custom made from a very powerful wizard-tailor. It takes on the shape of any design which you want. All you have to do is touch the portion of the pant whose shape you want to change with the wand and say "Incline Formatura". After that, just move your wand and the material will stick to your wand and change shape. Only the outside appearance will change, it will still stick to your skin on the inside. After you after finished say "Comprobo Formatura" and it will take on the shape permanently until you want to change it again. If you want to change the color, then just touch the pant with the wand and say "Incline Infucatus" and then the color name. It will take on the color. And, whenever you put anything inside one of the pockets, the pocket immediately takes on the shape unless you disable it by saying "Abdico Formatura". All these things go for the jacket too. Use it with style, will you?_

A small smile crept on to Harry's face. Only Sirius could have thought about anything like that. "Well Sirius, I will take good care of this." Harry said this to practically nobody but felt as if Sirius was listening to him.

He then placed all his clothes into one of the other cupboards present in the room. He took out his school books and but them in 6'th rack of the cupboard which held all the other books. Finally it seemed that everything was in place. Just one last box remained in the trunk with the lettering's in gold saying "From The Gryffindor's to The Potter's".

Harry took out the box which twice as long as that of his palm and had a thickness of about 5 inches. The box seemed a bit heavy for its size. He placed the box on his bed and turned to put away his trunk. After he had placed the trunk at an appropriate place, he sat down to open the box. He slowly opened the box and peered into it and found a note was placed on an object which was rolled up in a golden colored velvet cloth. He took the note in his left hand and took out the object, rolled in the velvet cloth, in his right hand. He rolled out the velvet cloth so that a golden object came into his full view with a dazzling flash of light. He closed his eyes in a reflex and opened them again when the light had faded, which resulted in his seeing one of the most beautifully crafted objects he had ever seen. It was shaped like a glove with holes at the required places for the fingers to move freely. He looked at the glove for a moment and opened the note to read.

_Dear Simon,_

_This is a small gift from your friend whom you saved from a horrible death. The manner of the death would not have been as horrific as the cause. I just didn't feel like living anymore after her death. I loved her more than anything else. But you showed me the right way. I know that she too would have wanted me to do this. You have been my leading light and will continue to remain so. Please accept this gift with my humblest thanks._

_Your indebted friend,_

_Godric Gryffindor._

Harry had read this letter previously at the Potter Family Vault too without checking the contents in the velvet cloth. But reading it now raised the same questions in his mind again. Was he the direct descendent of Simon Potter (_he was sure that the Simon in the letter was a Potter_)? Who was the _she_ in the letter for which Godric Gryffindor was ready to risk death? Or was it that Godric Gryffindor had been trying to commit suicide? He found no answers to these questions.

"Must ask Hermione about how I am linked with Simon Potter. She knows more about me than anyone else, including me. I can trust her to dig up anything in any library to find out the answer to this." He made a mental note of this. He knew that he would get the answer as Hermione never shied away from the challenge of gaining knowledge and finding out the truth. Satisfied with the way he would find Simon Potter's relation with himself (_he felt that he will have to get answers to his other questions in some other manner_), he proceeded to working out what the glove was all about. It seemed to be made out of solid gold with red rubies near the tips of the fingers. Also, the other end of the glove, which would be near his wrist and was circular in nature, was fully covered with green emeralds. All the precious stones were polished to the highest degree possible. There were no inscriptions on the glove. Harry wasn't sure whether this was just a glove or whether it had any magical powers but he knew that this was a prized possession of the Potter family. The glove seemed to be shaped for the left hand of a person. Obviously, Simon Potter must have been left-handed. Though it seemed too big for Harry's left hand, he slowly Harry put on the glove.

As soon as he put on the glove, he felt a tightening effect. It seemed like the glove was adjusting itself according to Harry's left hand's size. Harry started to panic. What if this glove never came off his hand? How would he explain a golden hand? What if this glove had powers which he wasn't supposed to know? Hundreds of thoughts, both positive and negative, started crossing his mind. After the glove had strapped itself tightly but comfortably on Harry's left hand, its movements seemed to cease. Harry's panic also ceased for a moment but as soon as he relaxed a bit, the glove's emerald plated circle started to elongate itself. It came to a stop only when it reached Harry's elbow. Again its motions stopped once it had strapped itself comfortably against Harry's relaxing muscles. Once all movements had stopped, Harry looked at his left arm – it was now golden in color. He was wondering what was going to happen next when, with a small flash of light, the color of the extended glove turned to his own skin color. He blinked at his left arm for a moment. Had it all been a dream? Where was the glove? Suddenly he saw a tiny green spot on the inside of his elbow. Tentatively, he touched it. With a bright flash of light and a tingling feeling, the glove came off his hand. This time Harry did not panic. As Harry stared at the glove, he recalled the feeling which he had had when the glove had been there. A calming and warm feeling had swept over him. He had suddenly felt quite confident. For a moment, he had felt as if he had enough power to take on the whole world. He tried on the glove one more time. Yes, there was this feeling again. As Harry stared at his left hand, where he knew the glove was, he knew that he was now the owner of a very strong magical object, an object which can be used for either good or evil, an object which probably had immense power. He was sure of at least one thing, this was an object which had to be used **very carefully**.

As he looked around, the golden velvet cloth came into view. On closer inspection, Harry notice that some letterings had appeared in silver coloring. He took up the cloth to and started reading the text.

_Hello,_

_It seems that another Potter has decided to wield the Glove of Gryffindor. Only a true Potter who has courage, honesty and has the best wishes for mankind may wear this glove. This glove is useless on any other person's hand. The person who has been able to wear this glove must understand its true powers. He/she has to believe in himself/herself to make this glove help them. If one's will power is not strong enough, then this glove will provide very limited results. But if one has enough mental strength and belief in himself/herself, then this glove can do many things. Not all of its powers are known to me but some of its powers, which I had been able to reveal, are mentioned below to help you. This glove has many more powers but I have been unable to discover them. I wish you best of luck with your progress. Take care of this Glove since it represents friendship, loyalty and love for mankind._

_Regards,_

_Simon Potter._

_Properties of the glove:_

_1. This glove behaves according to the intentions of the wearer. If the wearer wants to use this glove for evil purposes, then he/she will be unable to do so._

_2. It can make the wearer invisible if the wearer is able to visualize himself as not been there. No one, with any magical object or magical powers, will be able to see that person._

_3. It can set up shields around the wearer which are highly magic repellant. To setup a shield, simply visualize the properties of the shield you want and the curses it should reflect or absorb. Mind you, this glove does not have the ability to block the unforgivable curses._

_4. The shields setup by the glove can block or diminish the effects of a curse depending on the amount of magical energy the wearer is able to focus on._

_5. The magical energy radiated by the glove is non-existent. Thus no one can feel a magical object been in the hands of the wearer._

_6. The wearer may perform any magic he/she wants to, without anyone in the surrounding being able to feel it._

_7. According to Godric Gryffindor, only one object can be used to destroy the glove. That object is unknown to me._

Harry sat in stunned silence after he had finished the reading the silver words on the velvet cloth. He was astonished by what Simon Potter had written about this glove. According to point number 6, if he did any magic while wearing the glove, then no one will be able to feel it (_unless they saw sparks of light emitting from his wand,_ _that much was obvious to him_). He looked at the glove and just wondered what a powerful magical object fate had placed in his hands, literally. With great hesitancy and wondering whether he was right in doing what he was about to do, he took out his wand and pointed to his trunk and said "Reducio". Instantly, the trunk shrank in size. He turned around and looked at all the windows in anticipation of ministry owls coming in and informing him of his suspension from Hogwarts. But nothing of that sort happened. He looked at his left hand with a numbed feeling in his body. After re-reading the writing a few more times, the only word which came out of his mind was "WOW".

After he had got back some of his common sense (_he was still in awe_), all sorts of questions seemed to popup in his mind. Points 1 and 5 were easy enough to understand. He had just now tested the point number 6 with success. But he was still unable to understand some things. How can he visualize himself as not been at someplace when he was in fact there? Had it something to do with Occulmency? If no one was able to see him when he became invisible (_if he ever could do that_), then will Mad-Eye be unable to see him with his magical eye? Would Dumbledore be unable to see him too (_he always had the feeling that Dumbledore could see through not only invisibility cloaks but through anything and everything_)? How was he to set up shields? How should he focus his magical energy and WHAT should he focus it on? Should he focus it on the glove or did he have to visualize it too? What was the object which could destroy this glove? Harry found no answers to these questions but he desperately wanted the answers. He then did what had become a habit of his by now whenever he felt restless or worried – meditate. He meditated for 5 minutes and after that, he felt very reassured and confident again. He knew that he will get answers to all these questions but he had to wait for them. But he felt very pleased with one thing – he could now do magic with this glove on which meant he had no need to prepare the potion which hides one's magical abilities. Well, maybe he would make some of it later but he didn't feel like it right now. With a smile, he took the ingredients and the book and replaced them at their appropriate places. Right now, he was feeling like he had just had the best time of his life…time…oh god, he thought as his stomach growled. It was one hour past his regular lunch time. He quickly placed the box, along with the velvet cloth inside, on one of the racks of an empty cupboard and hid it using the Fidelius charm. He also put away all the other things lying around into different racks. After finishing, he went to the magical refrigerator in his room and took out a Chinese dish of noodles, which he had seen in Hogwarts once, and a jar of pumpkin juice. He was really going to enjoy today's lunch.

Harry now got ready for the real task at hand. He had had a very satisfactory lunch after he had made his exciting 'discoveries'. But the real challenge, which would be his passport for staying here, was just ahead. He had to place this whole building under the Fidelius charm. With this target in his mind and a full stomach, he sat down to meditate. He meditated for over 30 minutes in which he skimmed through his thoughts to find the one's related to the structure of the house. He concentrated to complete the mental image of the full interior of the house along with the basement and the dungeons. Once this was done, he went up to the outside of the house and looked around the house from different angles. Once finished doing this, he sat down to meditate once again. Finally, after 45 more minutes, he could visualize the entire house. The visualization of the complete house had been a bit problematic because it looked a shabby 2-storeyed house from the outside whereas it really was a BIG, well-decorated house from the inside. After much concentration, he was finally able to visualize the 7 storeys inside the 2 storeys (_phew!!_). Once the full mental image was ready, he went on to complete the spell. Concentrating fully, keeping the image of the house in his mind, he said the incantation for the Fidelius charm. Then he went on to mention the password for the house. Finally, he put cast the final part of the spell which effectively secured the spell along with the password. After finishing the spell, he stood expectantly, with a thumping heart. Suddenly, the whole house vanished from its place into thin air (_or so it seemed_) and the surroundings closed on in that place. Suddenly all that was in that place were just trees, weeds and more trees.

"WHOA. I have done it…yes…yes…I have done it." Harry was leaping all over the place for about 2 minutes. After having calmed down, he went towards the place which he knew was, approximately, near the front gate (_the whole house along with the gate and the surrounding walls had been hidden_).

"Open Sesame" Harry said not expecting any problems this time. Out of nowhere, the trees and the surroundings were pushed apart to reveal 3, Sunshine Villa once again. Harry stepped inside as he knew for sure that the house would disappear as soon as he had entered inside. He was also pleased with his selection of the password which he had read once. It had been in a book which Dudley had thrown towards him with the intention of hurting him. Dudley had then forgotten to take away the book which was titled 'Ali Baba & The Forty Thieves'. Later on, Harry had read it and found the story very interesting. He had found the password in that book and knew that none of the wizards or witches, who were not from muggle backgrounds, will be able to guess it. Once inside, he was finally able to relax. It was 4:30 p.m. in his watch and he knew that now no one would be able to find him.

[][][][]

Professor Dumbledore was seated in his office in Hogwarts when he saw Hedwig fly in. He felt it a bit odd as to why would Harry send Hedwig. Had Tonks or Remus been unable to do solve something which Harry needed desperately? Whatever it was, he was supposed to meet Harry in the afternoon after lunch. He was about to take the letter from Hedwig's legs when there appeared a face in the fire of his office.

"Remus. How nice to see you again. Is there something wrong? You don't seem too well." Dumbledore queried with a twinkle in his eye. Even Remus had noticed that the twinkling had slowly reduced as he saw Remus's concerned face.

"Professor. Harry…Harry…"

"What's happened to Harry? Hedwig has just come in with a letter from Harry, I presume. Is there anything else?"

"Another letter?" Remus seemed frantic.

"No Remus. This is the first letter I got. I haven't got any others."

"No Sir. What I meant was that I have one of Harry's letters. And this is the second one. Sir, Harry has left this place." Remus looked very concerned and frightened at the same moment as he made this statement.

All the twinkling in Dumbledore's eyes faded when he heard this statement from Remus. Remus had never seen Dumbledore so serious in all his life except for the time when he had first heard that Voldemort was after James and Lily.

"I'll be right there" Dumbledore stated. As Remus's face vanished from the fire, Dumbledore took some floo powder and threw it in the fire "Hogwarts Staff Room" he said.

"Minerva, Severus. I require you both at my office right now. Professor Flitwick, can you please take care of Hogwarts for sometime. We will be going on some important business" the face in the fire looked very concerned. Professors McGonagall & Snape just nodded their heads and headed towards the headmaster's office while Professor Flitwick said that Dumbledore can attend to any business without any concern. If there was really something urgent required, he would use Fawkes to contact Dumbledore. Dumbledore gave a slight nod and his face vanished from the fireplace.

Since it would take the two professor's around 1 minute to reach his office, Dumbledore decided to go through the letter in his hand.

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_This letter may contain some unexpected things for you and the others. Maybe Remus or Tonks have already contacted you and said that I am missing. Well sir, I assure you that I went away with my own consent. I hope you don't think I had been kidnapped, did you? Well sir, you know that my initial life was dictated by my relatives. After that, you were the one who guided me when I came to Hogwarts. I am most grateful for that. I really considered you as the grandfather whom I never had known. You must have noticed my usage of the past-tense. This is because of some of the things which happened over the last summer having changed some of my previous opinions. I am having some doubts as to whether you guided me in Hogwarts or whether you were also dictating my life. I have seen in the past year what can happen when someone is not told about the whole truth. I have paid a rather heavy price for it. At the end of last year, you had yourself said that you had made a mistake for not telling me the whole truth. Sir, let me ask you a question – what price have YOU paid? Or for that matter, what price did Snape pay? I was not responsible for having been told the half-truth. You never gave me a chance to save my only family. I agree that if I had persisted with Snape, then I would have been able to block out Voldemort. That was my fault and I blame myself for it everyday. But Snape, what about him? He also didn't help me. He could have but he didn't. he is still keeping his childish grudge with him._

_So sir, if all the three of us made mistakes, then how come I am the only one who paid the price? You always talk about fairness. What did YOU do to make that situation fair? Let me tell you what you did – NOTHING. You and all the other people think that I am some kind of mechanical object who has no emotions. All of you (except for Remus) think that I am just supposed to carry on my life just as before, that this is the one and only fate of the Boy-Who-Lived. Let me ask you something sir, have I ever been just Harry to you? Just Harry and not Harry Potter who is supposed to be part of some prophecy. No sir, I don't think so. Maybe you wanted to think of me as just Harry, I won't argue about that if it is true, but I think that you were always overcome by my Boy-Who-Lived part. I don't blame you for that because you are also human. But sir, I AM also a human. I also wanted some things. I wanted a life and not be someone who has to either kill someone or got killed. But I never got a chance for that life._

_Sir, let me assure you that I never wanted anything materialistic. I never wanted money or a big house or anything like that. All I ever wanted was a bit of love. Not too much sir, only a little bit. And I was so close to getting it. And sir, all Sirius wanted, after his years in Azkaban & running from the ministry, was a family. You never looked into his eyes when he was falling through the veil, did you? Let me ask you, what would have you done if someone of your family had died in that manner and under those circumstances? If you have an answer to that and my other questions, I would like to hear about it in your reply._

_So you see, I am a bit angry and sad. No one can share it. But sir, I have been unable to find the answer as to why only I should have to bear the consequences? Well, I just wanted to let you know that you people will have to suffer a bit too. I don't want to make you suffer. I am not god. But the problem is that you will suffer because you will be trying to find where I have gone. You will suffer mentally whereas I am sure that you will make Snape search for me. That will mean physical suffering as well as mental suffering for him. Just think about what he would feel like searching for me when it is the last thing he would like to do. Sir, give him a hint, tell him that I am just behind the veil and tell him that I can be taken back only by him._

_Anyway sir, I have gone away for sometime. I am absolutely safe here. No one can get me here. I will meet you as and when required but this time everything will be done according to my planning. I have learnt adequate things from you in the past few weeks. I will be practicing everything you told me about but I won't be living a life dictated by others from today onwards. Sir, you know what kind of a person I am. So please, believe it and don't try to force me back. And please assure the Weasleys that I am safe. If you don't want to subject yourself to mental suffering, then don't try to find me._

_By the way, can you do me a favor? Can you send Dobby over? I want to keep him in my employment, if you don't mind. You can ask Winky to come and work for you. Sir, if you consent to this, then please ask Dobby whether he would like to come over and work for me. I think he can find me with his own bit of magic._

_Thank you for understanding my points and apologize to Remus once again. I didn't have the time to write anything much to him. You can explain what I have mentioned here in your own way._

_Harry._

Dumbledore suddenly looked far more aged than he was. There was something in this letter which pained him beyond words, something which made him realize the extent of damage done by his hiding of the contents of the prophecy from Harry. This was a letter from a boy named Harry and not Harry Potter, he realized.

He was re-reading the letter when Snape & McGonagall came in. He explained the situation to them.

"But Albus, Harry couldn't have…" Professor McGonagall didn't have any words for her feelings and fears. Dumbledore nodded in resignation while Snape was livid.

"Just like Potter. Goes out of the way to become the hero. Headmaster, you always gave him too much leeway and look what he has done for the faith you put in him."

"I am sorry to say Severus that I am responsible in a way for what has happened. Anyway, we should hurry over. Remus is expecting us."

[][][][]

Remus and Tonks had been jittery from the time they had found the note. It was Tonks who found it and had handed it to Remus. Harry hadn't come down for his breakfast. It was 9:00 when Tonks went up to call him giving him a 15 minute notice. After 2 more reminders, Tonks unlocked the door at 9:40. A look at Harry's bed provided evidence that it hadn't been slept in. Remus had started to frantically search the house for Harry when Tonks called him over. She had a note in her hand.

_Hello Remus & Tonks,_

_I had said to both of you yesterday night that I will be becoming a little independent from now on. I had also asked you guys to have faith in me. Well, I am leaving this house for good. I have found an alternative place. Please, don't try to search for me as you won't find me. I will contact you guys later._

_Harry._

_p.s. Remus, I am really ok. I know what I am doing. Please believe me. I will get in touch soon._

As soon as both had got their senses back, Remus had notified the headmaster of Hogwarts and Tonks had called up her office to say she was sick and won't be able to make it today. Both were now pacing around the drawing room. Tonks was unable to look at Remus – he seemed a nervous wreck to her. Their unfinished breakfast had been cleared away by Dobby (_How could I have had breakfast without Harry. He's such a nice kid and I didn't even wait for him, Tonks was thinking_). About 10 minutes had passed before Professor Dumbledore appeared along with McGonagall and Snape.

"Alastor is on his way." Dumbledore informed them as soon as he had entered. Dumbledore went on to explain the contents of the letter he had received to all of them. Remus looked very agitated as Tonks explained what had happened from morning onwards. She intentionally left out their conversation of yesterday night. Professor McGonagall was doing all she could to pacify Remus but after some time she gave up. In another 15 minutes tie Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody had arrived (_Had to finish some damn ministry work. When is Fudge going to stop meddling with auror's duties?_).

"It's all his fault" a whisper came out of Remus's mouth.

"What was that? Why are you blaming Harry Remus?" Tonks queried

"I am not blaming Harry"

A tense silence was lifted when Dumbledore said "You are right Remus. I am very sorry."

"Remus, you shouldn't blame others just…" Professor McGonagall was cut short by Dumbledore.

"Minerva, I know what I am saying. Remus knows what he is saying. Thank you for saying it Remus. At least I now realize how wrong I was when I tried to have my own way. But I think I owe an apology to Harry too and for that we have to find him."

Dumbledore then informed Moody of all that had happened. Everyone was contemplating where Harry could have gone when Moody asked "Why don't we follow Dobby to Harry's place?"

"Alastor, the elves use a brand of magic unknown to us. We can never track Dobby." Dumbledore informed him.

"Then why not follow his owl?" Moody asked. No one had noticed Hedwig flying in through one of the windows when Dumbledore had arrived.

"Alastor, owls are magical beasts. They never betray their master's. Hedwig will never let us follow her. Even if we try, she will take us through a whirlwind trip until we give up." Hedwig had hooted in an angry voice as Dumbledore was explaining this.

"So, what do we do Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked the question which everyone was just about to ask.

"You people wait here while I check out some things." Without waiting for any comments, Dumbledore breezed out. He was back after half-hour. He gave instructions to everyone as to where they should direct their searches. Dobby wanted to join in too (_I is helping find great wizard Harry Potter_) but Dumbledore asked him to stay here in case Harry called. Dobby seemed content with his responsibility. All of them were asked to report back here after 4 hours.

4 hours later, everybody was back. After everyone gave their reports to Dumbledore, the scene changed to one which looked like they were mourning someone's death. No one dared to look another in the eye. Everyone was silently contemplating their next line of action with Snape passing some comments in between. He seemed quite bitter having to search for Harry, of all people, but Dumbledore ignored it.

"We have to send Dobby over. We have nothing else to do." Dumbledore broke the silence. No one argued with him. If Dumbledore had run out of ideas, then Harry must have surely done a good job of giving them the slip, everyone thought. They all nodded except for Remus who stayed deathly still.

"Remus. Don't worry. I'll ask Dobby to come back and inform us whether Harry is safe or not." This seemed to bring Remus out of his stupor.

"Dobby" Dobby appeared with a pop by Dumbledore's side. "Will you work for Harry?"

"But I is working for the Order. I is employee of Headmaster Dumbledore, one of the greatest wizards of all."

"Dobby, Harry has himself asked for you." This statement made Dobby almost start bouncing on his legs. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Ok, you are now free to work for Harry but I have a request for you. Can you please inform us whether Harry is all right or not?"

"Yes sir. I is doing it. May I go now?" Dumbledore just nodded his head as Dobby popped away.

Dumbledore also wrote a quick note and gave it to Hedwig who flew out of the window of 12, Grimmauld Place.

[][][][]

"HARRY POTTER!!! I IS SO WORRIED FOR YOU" Dobby was bouncing all around as Harry groggily looked about. He checked his watch – 5:30 p.m. He must have dozed off for a while. He looked up with a smile towards Dobby who was now beginning to pop all over the place in excitement.

"So, Dumbledore let you come and work for me?" Dobby nodded his head. Suddenly he became serious.

"Dobby is having to go back for a little while, Harry Potter Sir." At Harry's questioning look, Dobby went on "Everyone is worried about Harry Potter. Harry Potter's Remus is very sad. They want to know how Harry Potter is"

"Ok Dobby. Go back and inform them that I am ok but don't tell them where I am, ok?" Dobby nodded his head as Harry continued "And tell Remus that I will talk to him over the floo tomorrow evening at 8:00. Tell only Remus, no one else should know."

Dobby popped away and popped back in 5 minutes time. Harry learned that he had been able to successfully do all the things he had been assigned to do. Remus looked happier when Dobby had given him the news. Everyone else looked relieved at knowing Harry was ok. Harry had become very upset about the fact that he had made Remus so worried. He took out a book on charms and started skimming through the pages. After many unsuccessful attempts, he started taking out the books he had brought over from the Black Family Vault. He started to go through them one by one until he found the charm he was looking for – _How To Charm Your Fireplace So That It Is Untraceable_. With increased energy, he went through it. After all, he had to make up for making Remus worried and sad.

There were many spells which could be performed on a fireplace. All of them had their advantages and disadvantages. After going through all of them in detail, he decided to use 3 different spells which seemed to cover everything to keep the fireplace from been traced and its conversations recorded or heard by others. He finished his dinner early – Dobby had cooked up a variety of dishes from the ingredients he had found in the 'magical refrigerator' – and started to work on practicing the spells. It was almost 11:00 at night before Harry had mastered 2 of the 3 spells.

"That's enough for today. I should get back to my meditation." Harry thought. Harry meditated for another 2 hours before going to bed, exhausted by his whole day's efforts.

[][][][]

"Dobby…I would like some eggs today at breakfast" Harry said as he came down up from the basement. He had arranged his schedule to accommodate a 30-minute jog in the basement apart from his early morning meditation.

After finishing his breakfast, Harry went back to practicing the 3'rd charm required to protect the fireplace once and for all. He spent the rest of the morning practicing on the spell. At lunch time, he sat down with a satisfied smile. At last, he had mastered it and tonight he would talk to Remus. As he was finishing his lunch, Hedwig flew in. He patted Hedwig and took the note from her as she went out to hunt for herself.

_Dear Harry,_

_Hope you are ok. I am sorry for whatever happened. Hopefully, some day you will be able to change the past-tense in your letter to present-tense. I am looking forward to that day expectantly. Please stay well and take care._

_Albus Dumbledore._

Harry read the letter twice and felt a bit satisfied and relieved. At least, Dumbledore wouldn't spend time searching for him any more, he was sure of this. After finishing his lunch, Harry went back to his room and started reading. He had planned to dedicate his afternoon's to reading and his evenings for practicing the spells he had read about. This schedule got a bit mixed up as most of the time he read about a spell and couldn't stop himself from practicing it. At long last, he looked at his watch at saw that it was 7:30 in the evening.

"Phew…I have been reading and practicing for the past 7 hours. Well, it's for the best maybe." He said to himself as he went towards the fireplace. He had just enough time to put the spells on the fireplace before his scheduled talk with Remus. One by one, he successfully cast all the 3 spells. At 8, he threw in some floo powder (_which caused the fire to turn a brilliant black. So, this must be how a protected fireplace looks in floo powder, he thought_) and put his face in it.

"Hello Remus" Harry's face suddenly sprung into view. Remus, who had been sitting there for the past 3 hours, looked very happy and very pleased.

"Oh Harry…how are you…you had me so worried. Thank god you are ok."

Harry and Remus had a chat for around 15 minutes (_during which Tonks stumbled in and was very relieved to see Harry was ok_). Harry assured them that he was fine and asked them not to try to trace his call as it was impossible. Harry didn't reveal any of the things which he had found or discovered in the past 2 days. He just assured them that he will call them over as soon as the time was correct. Both Tonks and Remus said goodnight to Harry but only after they had made him promise that he will call every once in 3 days.

That night, as Harry went to bed, he was very pleased with himself. The dragon-hide clothes he was wearing seemed to fit a bit better now. He had been able to learn some good curses and spells. Also, he had been able to talk to Remus. Seeing Remus smile was one of the most important things in his life now. Also, he was happy to see that Tonks had been happy to see him again. Somehow, Tonks seemed more and more like a big sister to him – a bumbling, stumbling big sister, he thought with a smile.

Over the next 5 days, Harry tried very hard to maintain his schedule. He had called Remus & Tonks on the third day over the floo network as he had promised. His Occulmency practice was coming along nicely too. Also, he had learnt quite a few number of spells some of which seemed very useful. One of them was the Disillusionment charm which Moody had performed on him when he had been rescued from Privet Drive last year. It made him a human chameleon whenever needed. He had frightened Dobby with it once. Other charms included the Sight-Multiplier curse – which made the cursed person see more than one opponent, the Sight-Twister curse – which made the opponent see the whole scene at a 45 degree angle, the Firebolt spell – which cast a bolt of fire towards the opponent but whose effect got diminished after the first 40 meters, the Reverse-Hand curse – which caused the opponent to believe that he had the wand in his wrong hand causing utter confusion for the cursed person, the Inverse curse – which made the opponent think that the world was upside down.

He had also learnt how to draw his wand from his wand hostler. He was now able to give a flick of his forearm and the wand came right into his hand. Initially, it would fly right out until he caught it after an hour of practice. At long last, he was able to catch the wand just in the right place as it flew out.

But the most difficult part of his practice had been with the glove. He knew that he would have to visualize the shield he needed. Once he had been meditating and tried to visualize a shield which would block all the curses of which he knew. It took him over an hour's meditation to get it right. The shield which he had created was a very strong one. He could feel the power of the shield around himself. But then came the part which took up nearly 3 hours – that was to get the shield down. This was something he had not expected. He had always thought that constructing something was more difficult compared to destroying. But in the case of this shield, he found that his mind's visualization had been so strong that he was now having problems in disintegrating the thought, the image of the shield. After he had successfully destroyed the shield, he found he was too tired to continue. He hadn't even done his meditation that night because he knew he had done more than enough meditation for one day.

Before he could realize, it was the seventh day he had been here and he readied himself for the next part of his plan. He knew he would have to start early next day which would mean less time for meditation. So he had decided to meditate a bit longer that day. He thought that it would be best if he meditated on what he had learnt that whole week.

[][][][]

Earlier in the week, he had discovered the formula for a very useful potion. It was the _Charming Eyes_ potion whose different variations allowed a person to perform all kinds of spells on their eyes to make them more attractive. This potion had been very popular in the early 1600's when witches and wizards used it to bewitch each other. Later on, this potion seemed to have gone out of fashion and nowadays, almost no one knew that such a potion existed.

"Hermione would love to get her hands on books like these. She will be so angry when she finds out that I have been reading all this" a smile crept over Harry's face as he thought of this. "Better not piss off Hermione till I get to know the truth about Simon Potter"

He had learnt that one of the variations of this potion had been used to rectify one's eye's power. This intrigued him very much. Could he get rid of his glasses? It would be a nice surprise for everyone. Even though he didn't like to admit it, wearing glasses wasn't the most favorite thing about his appearance which he liked. When he was a kid, Dudley used to take away his glasses to tease him. At those times, Harry had a hell of a trouble doing his house chores. Sometimes he was so afraid that he made the glasses stick to his face accidentally, but his fear never left him. What if he lost his glasses in the middle of a duel? This fear had plagued him many times but he had always pushed it away as he saw no other way out – until now. He decided to work on the potion. The book said the potion would take 3 days to prepare. He asked Dobby to get the ingredients and had started on the potion as soon as possible. On the third day, the potion turned a bright orange (_like it had been mentioned in the book_). Asking Dobby to be around him as he didn't know what the side effects could be, he drank the potion. Suddenly the world faded away. It was a good 3 hours before he came back to his senses. Dobby was frantically jumping around in panic. But on seeing Harry stagger out of his bed (_I is putting Harry Potter sir in bed_), Dobby calmed down a bit. Harry looked around to see where he was since the last thing he could remember was been in the drawing room taking the potion. The room seemed strangely out of focus. Damn, where have I put my glasses now, he asked himself?

"Dobby, could you please get me my glasses?" Dobby looked like he had been given a shock. How could the great wizard Harry Potter ask such a dumb question?

"But Harry Potter sir is wearing them." Dobby replied in a surprised voice. "Is Harry Potter sir ok?"

Harry was a bit suspicious that Dobby was joking but when he touched the side of his face, he felt the spectacles near his ear. Slowly, Harry took off his glasses and looked around. "WOW. Dobby, I did it. I made the potion correctly. I have repaired my eye-sight. I don't need these glasses any more." Harry was virtually bouncing around more than Dobby had been doing about 15 minutes earlier. Dobby seemed to catch on what Harry was saying.

"I always have faith in the great wizard Harry Potter." He said as he too started bouncing in joy. It was obvious, the fact that Harry had given him his freedom was one which he valued more than his life and he had no qualms showing it.

The rest of the week had gone by with Harry moving around without his glasses for the first time in his life. The learning of different spells, the setting up of the shield and the 3 hour battle to get the shield down – all this seemed like a dream to him. At last he was living a life with a definite purpose. And he was following his purpose with true dedication. But he had his most shocking experience on Saturday night (which was the 5'th day since he had been here) after he had finished working on the _Charming Eyes_ potion (he would take them the next day). He had been meditating for an hour when he started going through his thoughts of his 2'nd year at Hogwarts. He remembered the time when he was in the Slytherin common room as Goyle (_under the effect of the polyjuice potion_). He started to visualize his talking with Malfoy and how Malfoy's reactions had been. Slowly, his thoughts shifted wholly to Malfoy; as to how Malfoy walks, how he talks, his build, his hair color when suddenly he felt himself change which resulted in his concentration getting broken. He looked at his arms and legs and saw that they were unlike his natural self. He went up to the mirror and screamed – in horror. Looking back at him was none other than Draco Malfoy. He thought about what had happened and started to panic. Maybe this was just a nightmare, he thought, but when he pinched himself he knew that it was true. For all he knew, this had something to do with his meditation. But he was in no condition to meditate now. After all, seeing oneself transformed into one's worst enemy is not one of the best things to happen. He had then asked Dobby (_who are you?_) to pop into the Order Headquarters and request Tonks to be near the fireplace – alone. When Dobby returned, he had informed Harry that Tonks was ready.

"12, Grimmauld Place" Harry found himself face-to-face with Tonks who gave a shriek. "Hi Tonks"

"H…H…Hi. Is that you har?" Tonks asked tentatively not knowing what to expect. The face which was peering at her through the fire looked so much like a young Lucius Malfoy…

"Yes. And I am just as frightened at seeing myself in the mirror as you are now" Harry went on to explain what had happened. When he had finished, Tonks seemed to be contemplating something.

"Harry, how many times you have cut your hair in these past few months?"

"Months!!! I haven't had a hair-cut in 5 years" Harry said matter-of-factly. He then went on to explain the story about how Aunt Petunia had forced him to take a hair-cut some years back and how he had just willed it to grow back to what it had been previously. As soon as Tonks heard this she started jumping around in joy and excitement.

"At last, I got a partner…whoa…I got a partner"

"What do you mean you got a partner? You know how young I am compared to you" Even though Harry was nervous, he just couldn't let go of any situation where Tonks could be teased.

With a deep blushing (to Harry's satisfaction) Tonks continued "Well, I meant…I…don't make me angry har or I won't tell you anything."

"Well, do you like this face of _your_ partner? If you don't, then you have to tell me something." Harry joked again. Seeing the look on Tonks face, he quickly continued more seriously "Sorry Tonks, just kidding. What do you think happened?"

"har, tell me one thing, why are you asking all this to me instead of Remus?"

"You are the shape-shifting specialist here, aren't you? If I had changed into a werewolf, I would definitively have talked to Remus."

"There you go kiddo. Welcome to the club." At Harry's puzzled expression, she added "of Metamorphmaguses"

"WHAT? But how? C'mon, just 'coz I was teasing you, you start playing games with me. Tonks, this is serious. I have to get my own face & body back."

"Hey, what do you think I am?" Tonks voice was filled with mock anger. "Just because I stumble around a bit doesn't mean I go around showing people the wrong way. Believe it or not, you have to be one. I change my body and hair in the same manner as you did. The only difference is I do it knowingly and you did it accidentally. Got it?"

Harry looked very excited on getting this knowledge. Last year, when he had met Tonks for the first time at Privet Drive, he had asked whether one could become a metamorphmagus and she had said that they were mostly born. He had felt a bit dejected then but now he felt elated. But suddenly his elation changed into concern "How do I change back?"

"Just concentrate and try to feel yourself again. Try to feel who you _really_ are and you will be back to your old self. That's the only perfect thing which a metamorphmagus." Tonks said a bit dejectedly.

"What do you mean – 'the only perfect thing'?"

"What I meant was that when you change to a different person, you can never be _exactly_ like them because you really don't know what they exactly are like. But when you change back to yourself, you can be _exactly_ your old self again. If you are just concerned about changing some of your own features, then it's no big deal."

"That's ok with me as long as I can be back to my original self. But why do you make it sound like a problem? Did you fail in trying to change into somebody?" Harry asked. Suddenly a brilliant thought stuck him "Say Tonks, you didn't want to change into some movie star, did you? Or for that matter…a man? Harry paused for the effect, an evil prankish grin on his face.

"SHUT UP OR I'LL HEX YOU"

"oops, I better get going. I have to change back to myself again. Or maybe I'll try to change into you and see how you are like." Harry quickly took out his head from the fire as he had seen Tonks drawing up her wand. Well, there would always be a next time.

Harry had then meditated and done exactly what Tonks had asked him to do – feel who he _really_ was. Suddenly he had felt a strange feeling coming over his whole body. He was back - and he now knew how to become someone else. Well, well, well, wonders never cease to happen, do they – Harry thought as he went back to sleep.

On the 6'th day, he was elated beyond reason. Just the day before he had learnt (and felt) being a metamorphmagus. Today he had been able to rectify his eyesight AND had able to successfully apparate for the first time. He had been trying to learn to apparate for the last 3 days but somehow he just couldn't seem to do anything. He hadn't even been able to splinch himself when trying to apparate (_that was better than nothing, Harry thought_). But today, he had read a book which was stacked on the 4'th rack of his book cupboard. Rummaging through it to find some useful spells and curses, he had come across a section which described apparition. It had said that, to apparate, one had to concentrate very hard and had to will themselves to a certain place at that time. It went on to describe that apparition was about moving one's mind first and then willing their body to come along. This piece of text made apparition seem easy for Harry. He had no problems in willing his mind someplace (his level of concentration had increased greatly with the regular meditation he was doing) but making his body follow proved to be the difficult part. After two and a half hours, he was jumping around in joy. He had apparated successfully from one end of the basement to the other end – that too without splincing himself. He practiced on this for the rest of the day. By the end of the day, Harry's speed of apparition had increased, with his increased control at willing his body to where his mind was. He made himself a promise to practice it more thoroughly in the coming weeks.

The 7'th day had gone without any hitch in his planning's. He had spent the entire day practicing all the things, which he felt, would be necessary for the next day. But still, he concentrated mostly on apparition. Evening onwards, Dobby found him apparating all over 3, Sunshine Villa.

[][][][]

"Harry Potter sir is not going to apparate to Diagon Alley all alone, is he?" Dobby queried with concern.

"Dobby, I told you before also – don't call me sir. Call me Harry, just Harry. And stop worrying, will you. I know you are concerned but I'll be ok, you know that." Dobby nodded, his face still a bit red for been treated by Harry as an equal.

"Dobby is seeing Harry Potter s… Harry Potter practice all week. Dobby is sure Harry Potter will be ok but is concerned"

"Dobby, don't worry, I'll be ok. Besides, no one will be able to even recognize me. Just keep dinner ready for me when I am back, ok? I want something delicious today." This seemed to lighten Dobby's mood a bit.

With a quick nod, Harry apparated to the apparition point of Diagon Alley. Today, he had to make some serious purchases which he desperately needed. He took a quick look around. Seeing an elderly wizard coming along, he asked "Which way to Flourish & Blotts sir?" The man gave him a quick look and said "First left turn lad." There was a hint of dislike in the wizard's voice but Harry just said a quick thanks and went on his way satisfied. At least his first experiment had gone successfully. The wizard hadn't been able to recognize him, he thought triumphantly.

The first stop he made was Gringotts. He went straight to the first free goblin he came across "I want to make a withdrawal from my vault. Also, I wanted some muggle money. So could you please tell me the exchange rates?"

"Your name please" replied the goblin.

"Harry Potter" came the whispered reply. The goblin looked at him very carefully not trusting himself. The person in front of him was around 5 ft 7 inches tall, was beginning to fill out at his shoulders and seemed to have traces of moustache & beard on his face. All this fitted quite nicely but this guy seemed to have shoulder length black hair, some of which covered a part of his face and was wearing some muggle clothes. All in all, he seemed one of those rebellious new-age teenagers.

Noticing that the goblin was taking more than his usual time for his inspection, Harry parted the hair on his forehead and showed it to the goblin. One look at the scar and the goblin asked "Do you have your key?"

Harry handed him the key and said "Actually, I have to make some frequent withdrawals. I can't comedown here always. Can you help me out with it?" Harry asked politely. The goblin took a moment before saying "Can you please follow me to my office please." Harry nodded and noticed that the goblin was taking care not to say his name. Obviously, he had gotten the idea that Harry didn't want to be recognized. Smart creatures, these goblins – Harry thought.

When they reached the goblins office and taken their respective seats, the goblin said "I am Tevrid, Mr. Potter. So could you please tell me how you plan to spend your money? I will be able to help you better in that way."

"Well…" Harry thought for a moment and then asked "Do you know what a muggle credit card is?" Harry thought this was a ridiculous question since he assumed that goblins had some kind of trade with muggles too but he still didn't see any harm in asking. The goblin just nodded in reply.

"Well Mr. Tevrid, I would like something of that kind…something which will let me make withdrawals anytime I want to without having to come here. Also, something which would provide me with muggle money."

"Today may be the lucky day for both of us Mr. Potter. We have just launched one of these things today. We had both these things before but they have been combined to a single object after our market research showed that it had great prospect. Seems our research team was right." Tevrid said with an expression which Harry guessed could be called a short smile for goblins. "Just wait a moment while I bring it." With that the goblin left to return with what looked like a folded piece of leather to Harry. As the goblin opened it, Harry saw that there were various pockets in it. It was a wallet.

"Well Mr. Potter, this is something which is called a wallet by the muggles. They use it to keep their money. We have designed these exactly like theirs so that no one will suspect you when you open it in front of other muggles. All you have to do is open the wallet and say the specific amount which you require. Just say the currency and you'll have it. I should inform you that for every muggle money transaction, we charge a surcharge of 10% on the amount of transaction. If your transaction is over a 1000 galleons in muggle money, we charge a flat rate of 5% on the total amount of transactions. Whatever is the amount, it will be deducted from your vault in Gringotts automatically." With this, Tevrid finished his explanation.

Harry took the wallet and checked it inside out. It seemed very convenient. It seemed just like the one which his uncle had. He nodded to Mr. Tevrid indicating that he was ready to have it. On his nod, Tevrid started explaining again.

"Actually Mr. Potter, I would recommend a different wallet for you. The wallet which you have is the one which we have released to the public today but I would like to have you a prototype of a new wallet." At Harry's questioning look, Tevrid continued "You see, we were having a bit of a problem with our wallets. It's just like the problems which the muggles have – they can be stolen."

"What happens when someone steals it? They will have unlimited access to my vault."

"No Mr. Potter. Only your hand will be able to retrieve money from the wallet. You see, when you take a wallet, we insert your key in the outermost pocket. The key melts with your wallet and only a goblin is able to take it out. But the problem we are facing is that when a wallet gets stolen, the key gets stolen too. For getting a duplicate key, the customer has to go through a long procedure…which some don't like" The goblin paused for a moment indicating that he may have been at the receiving end of some of these 'procedures'. "But you see, we have developed this new wallet" he said handing Harry a similar looking black wallet. Harry couldn't see any differences.

"You see Mr. Potter, these wallets are made of dragon-skin. These have very high magical resistance. Whenever you insert your key in the wallet, the wallet gets a 'magical impression of the client' as we call it. It gets signed by your mark so that only you or a goblin will be able to touch it. Also, the master key gets transported back to your vault. A certain mark also appears on the wallet which is in accordance with your magical being. As for the key, it gets magically protected so that only a goblin or you can touch it. In that way, we keep your master key safe. Also, your wallet, if stolen, gets automatically destroyed if someone else tries to take money out of it." There was a finality in the voice of Tevrid which indicated that he was finished with his explanation and waited for questions from the client's side.

"So this is the first of its kind, am I right?" Tevrid nodded in reply. "How much do I have to pay for it and what are the transaction rates?" Harry had no idea what it would cost him.

"Let me answer your 2'nd question first. The transaction rates are similar to what I had mentioned earlier. To answer your first question…well…the price of this wallet is 300 galleons. This is a one-time fee. If your wallet gets stolen, then we charge only 20 galleons for the new wallet."

"Well, that's very expensive. I don't know how many people will pay 300 galleons for such a wallet."

"We know. We are targeting only the upper & the upper-middle wizarding families. We will be launching this product on January 1'st next year all over the world. Based on its success, we will be able to take future decisions." Still seeing Harry been a bit hesitant to use the prototype (_because Harry was not used to spend so much money so easily_), Tevrid added "We can offer you a special offer, Mr. Potter"

"Harry…please call me Harry"

This seemed to take aback the goblin but he quickly regained his composure and continued "We will offer the wallet to you at 25 galleons."

"And what do I have to do in return?" Harry knew that the goblins would never compromise unless they saw a profit in their actions.

"You seem very quick Mr. Po…Harry. You know that your face is one of the most recognizable in the wizarding world, be it in England or United States or Japan. Well, all we ask in return is the rights to use your profile to market this product." There was a bit of apprehension in the voice of Tevrid as he said this.

Harry was taken aback. "Mr. Tevrid, you know that I don't like too much publicity or having my pictures put on newspapers."

"I know Harry. What you can do is just give a couple of interviews about what you feel about this wallet. As for your pictures in newspapers, we will use them very sparingly."

"And you mean to say that just because you are giving me 275 galleons off, Gringotts will take all the profits from my advertisement? Gringotts is hoping to make more than 275 galleons, right?"

"Yes Mr. Potter. I get your point. Maybe we can work out something." With this, Tevrid started to work on some papers and talked to some of the other goblins for which he had to leave his office for some time.

Another half-an-hour later, Harry walked out of Tevrid's office with the wallet prototype. He had signed papers for the contract which included a certain percentage of the profits generated from the wallet sales. He was to appear in one interview per month and he was to be the official 'face' of the wallet. He had to appear in an advertisement once every 15 days.

When his wallet had been activated by inserting his key, a lightning bolt had appeared on the inside of the wallet which greatly displeased Harry. But Tevrid went on to explain that the mark which appears on the wallet is the one which had had the greatest influence on a wizard's life. Harry had no choice but to continue with it.

Before leaving Gringotts, Harry went to Mr. Larynth's office for a discussion.

"Are you sure Mr. Potter? Do you have any idea of what you are talking about?" Mr. Larynth's voice was higher than usual. He had never done anything of this kind. Harry's request had been very unexpected.

"I am sure about this and I know you are the best person for this. Please, help me with this. I don't want anyone to know about anything until the time is correct."

"If you have made up your mind then I can't help it, can I? Well, please contact me after some time while I will see what I can do."

"Thank you Mr. Larynth. But just keep one thing in mind, I want _NO ONE_ to know about this."

"As you wish Mr. Potter"

With a smile on his face, Harry left Gringotts. He had managed quite a lot of things in the past one and a half hour and all the things were to his benefit.

"Next stop - Flourish and Blotts" He said as he looked at his list. Before he went in, he bought a featherweight charmed bag whose interiors were 300 times expandable when needed. When he came out of Flourish and Blotts, he had his bag almost full with all his 6'th & 7'th year books. He had also bought some books on advanced charms and defense against dark arts. A set of auror guides filled up the rest along with a pack of 5 self-dictating quills and a blank journal. With a flick of his wand, he shrunk everything and arranged them nicely in his featherweight bag.

He then went to 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions' and bought a pair of black school robes, a pair of dress robes (_one emerald green with black borders and another full black with emerald green borders_), a potions works robe and a simple black robe which could be worn daily. He was quite pleased with these robes. All these robes fitted him perfectly and were enchanted to grow an additional 8 inches (_the normal was 4 inches, he had to pay extra for another 4_). Unless he grew beyond 6 ft 3 inches, he wouldn't have to buy new robes if he took care of them. Another factor was whether he would live to buy new robes.

He again shrunk everything and put them in his bag. A look at the list took him to a shop which seemed to have opened recently.

"Self Defense Against Dark Wizards" Harry read the signboard as he went in. Inside, there were a variety of objects which Harry couldn't recognize. He saw a foe-glass like the one which he had seen in Moody's office. There were all kinds of weapons there under a category marked 'Dangerous Weapons For Dangerous Times'. He went straight towards a lady behind the counter and said "I would like to look at some of the things here." The lady, whose face had been hidden behind a magazine (_the latest edition of Witch Weekly_), looked up at him. Harry saw that she was a girl not more than 20.

"Sorry, we don't sell these to underage people."

"Look Miss, I really need to buy some of the things here."

"Look mister" she said with contempt as she gave him a thorough checkup with her eyes. The guy had nice eyes but that wasn't a guarantee that he was no hooligan "we don't sell to rowdy teenagers here. Why don't you come back with your dad if you desperately need them?" There was a hint of superiority in her voice and face.

"My dad's dead" Harry said softly. The girl, who was not expecting this, suddenly lost the look of superiority on her face but was able to continue with a steady voice "I am sorry to hear that but still I can't sell it to you."

"And WHAT would be the reason for that?" the anger in Harry's voice was very clear now. The coldness in his voice seemed to make the girl quite afraid. One look Harry and she saw two cold emerald greens eyes looking back at her.

"Well…we…don't sell to underage people" she stammered.

"And how come you think I am underage?" the bitterness still prominent in Harry's voice.

"Because you…well…you look underage to me." Some courage seemed to creep back in her voice. She was a bit unused to dealing with customers. Today she had been forced to come here because her father was ill. Right now, she was cursing inwardly was to why today there were no other customer's here right now.

"OK Miss. You are right. I am underage." The girl had a triumphant look on her face which said 'I knew it'. "But you see, I still need this stuff. As for why I need it, I can show you the reason." Saying this, Harry raised his hair from his forehead. The girl gasped as she looked at the scar and then at the face. She was unable to relate them together but the scar was ample guarantee for her to be sure. After a few moments of stunned silence, in which she kept gazing at the scar and then at Harry's face, she finally said "Well Mr. Po…"

"Please, no names please. I am not going around like this so that people start calling me by my name. And hopefully now you understand why I can't bring my parents along."

The girl couldn't look him in the eye. She nodded in understanding. "If you want to, you can call me Harry" At this, the girl blushed a bit. Not everyday you get to meet Harry Potter in person and get to address him as 'Harry'.

"Please wait a minute" She said before rushing towards the door. She locked the door and put the 'Closed' sign on the door. She drew the blinds and rushed back without meeting Harry's questioning glance. "I didn't want anyone to come in and see you" she said, explaining her actions. "I am Sarah – Sarah Miller".

"Nice to meet you Miss. Miller" Harry's voice was back to his normal, the coldness gone now.

"Call me Sarah" she added before continuing quickly, hoping that Harry hadn't seen her blush "Please have a look at whatever you want Harry. What are you looking for particularly?"

"Well, I wanted some knives" Hearing this, Sarah directed him to the left had side cupboard in the 'Dangerous Weapons For Dangerous Times' section. Harry quickly went over all the knives. He picked up 10 of them – 2 were simple knives which did nothing other than cut, 2 were knives which caused the attacked person to go into a 3 day coma and the rest 6 were poison tipped knives. All the knives were self-sharpening and were made of magical metals. The poisoned knives never lost their poison. Harry pointed out his choices to Sarah and she laid them on the counter before him. He asked her for a board on which he could practice his targets. She came back with quite a large circular board which looked quite similar to a dart board. A knife came free with it which was to be used for target practice.

"How are you going to carry all these at a time? You will be better off having one or two at the most." She said, forgetting that more sales meant more allowance for her. Harry smiled at her, touched his wand to his dragon hide pants (_which he had modified before coming here to look like Bell-Bottom pants_) and whispered 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'. Instantly, pockets seemed to sprout out of nowhere as Sarah gasped. "Harry, how did you do that?"

"Magic" came the reply. She immediately realized what a stupid question she had asked and closed her mouth shut.

Harry put all the knives in each of the pockets which readjusted their shapes to take the shape of the knife inside. There were 15 pockets in total leaving 5 empty for further us. "Is there anything else which can be useful? I mean something which would help me to detect the presence of wizards around myself."

"Well, we have got something new though it is awfully costly. It is something called wizard-radar. Please don't ask me the meaning of the name. Don't know how they came up with such a stupid name." She seemed to be muttering this last sentence to herself. Harry just smiled at her ignorance of the muggle world. "Let me get it for you." When she came back, she held up something like a chain watch to him. He took it and opened the circular cover. Instantly, a rectangular 2D image, perpendicular to the object and facing Harry, popped up into view. It seemed a bigger model of the Marauder's Map. And more detailed. Sarah then explained its features to Harry. The map could be switched between a 2D image and a 3D view. Also, touching on a certain portion of the map zoomed in on the location. The map could be customized to show the names of everyone who was around. Another thing which she pointed out was the password feature which allowed the radar to be used only by Harry and that the map would be visible to only to the one who owned it. But there was one button to which Sarah made no reference.

"What is this for?" he asked, pointing at a small black button.

Sarah seemed a bit uneasy but replied all the same "It detects the dark mark. When someone with the dark mark is nearby, it starts to vibrate. It keeps vibrating for 10 seconds" she said. Then almost in a whisper, she added "My father added it here after my mother was killed by death-eaters." She seemed almost on the verge of tears. Harry put a calming hand on her shoulders and said "Tell your father that this was one of the best things he ever did. By the way, who built this? Your father?" Sarah nodded in reply. "He must be a genius." Harry said with genuine appreciation in his voice. This caused Sarah to smile.

"I'll take it" Harry said and turned on the password feature 'I miss you Sirius', which Sarah didn't hear. Now, only Harry would be able to use the radar and only he would be able to see the map. This left Sarah speechless.

"You haven't even asked for the price"

"Ok, how much is it?"

"3000 galleons" Sarah said meekly. She looked up in astonishment when Harry said again "I'll take it. You know, sometimes it helps when your mum & dad are dead and don't ask you what you did with their money." Harry was trying to be as cheerful as possible as he mentioned his dead mother and father and gave an explanation as to how he could spend the money. Sarah just nodded speechlessly, she hadn't expected him to mention his parents so easily. Also, she knew her father would be very happy at the sale of this wizard-radar. It had been 3 years since he had made it but no one had been able to buy it because of its price.

"So, what is the total price?" Harry queried as he hung the wizard-radar around his neck with the help of a chain which Sarah had provided. He also shrunk everything else and put them in his bag. "By the way, do you keep anything muggle? I mean muggle weapons?" Sarah said a quick yes and led Harry to a door at the back. As they went towards the back, Harry made Sarah promise that she will keep his visit here a secret – she would tell him some weirdo with lots of money had bought the wizard-radar.

"My dad started keeping some of this stuff recently" she said as they entered a small room. Harry looked around quickly and found what he wanted. Two automatic pistols, which would fit nicely into the Sirius's pistol hostlers, along with some ammunition. He took those, along with a silencer and a manual with the title "How to use your first gun" and Sarah presented him with the bill. Harry took out his wallet and said "Three thousand four hundred galleons". The total amount appeared in a bag which he pulled out to the astonishment of Sarah. He handed her the money, touched his wand to his pants and said a quick "Mischief Managed" causing the pockets to disappear, said a quick 'Thank you' to Sarah and left before she could give him back his balance of 55 galleons and 13 sickles. Anyone entering the shop at that moment would have seen a young girl with lots of money in her hand and with her mouth open in shock. Today had been a day of surprises for her.

"Well, now only some items still left. I'll get them after lunch" Harry thought. He went into muggle London and had some lunch. Then he went to one of the muggle garments shops and bought a pair of jeans and a pair of tee-shirts. He also bought a pair of swat-shirts and shorts which he intended to use for his morning runs and exercises. Then he went into an electronics shop and bought a CD player. He asked the shopkeeper where he could find CD's of soothing music. He was planning to use them during his meditation. The shopkeeper helped him buy some CD's of music of certain bands and some solo performers. These had just music in them and no vocals. Harry tried out one of the CD's and was very pleased. He then went on to buy 5 mobile phones. He paid the shopkeeper and went looking for a shop which sold gym equipments. He bought a treadmill along with a number of other equipments. He waited for them to be packed and paid the shopkeeper. He then asked the shopkeeper to get him a taxi. When the shopkeeper went out, he just shrunk everything and put them in his bag. He went out and thanked the shopkeeper saying he won't need a taxi and proceeded towards Diagon Alley, leaving a stunned shopkeeper scratching his head and thinking where all the items had gone.

Once back in Diagon Alley, Harry went to the last shop he had on his list – "Botoman's Trunks and Equipments". Harry went in and looked around at all the trunks there. What he had in mind was a trunk like Moody's. Mr. Botoman showed him all the trunks they had but Harry didn't find anyone to his liking. At last, he said "Mr. Botoman, can I order a custom made trunk?"

"Of course sir. I take contracts for those also but I take 50% of the money in advance. Harry just nodded and gave his specifications. Once he had finished, a stunned looking Mr. Botoman asked "Sir, do you understand how much it will cost?" Harry shook his head to indicate that he had no idea. "It'll be…" Mr. Botoman started calculating very fast. Harry's specifications had taken him by surprise. "8,000 galleons" he said finally.

"So, I will have to pay you 4,000 galleons in advance right now?" Harry questioned as if this was the easiest thing in the world to do. Mr. Botoman just kept looking at him. "Mr. Botoman…MR. BOTOMAN…" This brought the shop-owner back to his senses. "Yes sir. You can pay the rest 2 weeks from now when you come to collect it. It'll be the best trunk I would have ever made."

"2 weeks!! Mr. Botoman, how about you deliver me the trunk in 7 days from now and I pay you 2,000 galleons extra. 10,000 galleons and 7 days delivery time?" Harry questioned to a surprised shop-keeper. Mr. Botoman pondered for sometime over this. It was not everyday that a client offered to pay 25% extra for speedy delivery, especially when the 25% extra amounted to 2,000 galleons. But to meet the deadline, he would have to work day and night for the next 7 days. Finally, he said "Deal. You will get it next Monday at this time."

Harry seemed very pleased with this and paid the shop-owner 5,000 galleons and left. As he left, he heard the shop-owner asking his apprentice to shut down the shop and to start work on this order. Mr. Botoman knew that the amount he was going to earn in 1 week was going to be more than his total earnings for the previous 2 months combined earnings.

One look at his watch showed him that it was 4:30 P.M. He now had about one and a half hour for his last task. With a concerned look, Harry started to look around for a secluded place. Ultimately he found a common gents toilet. He went in and found it was empty. He then relieved himself and changed his appearance. He also changed his dress which now had a hood and proceeded to his final destination.

"Master Malfoy. How nice to see you." said the shopkeeper when Harry pulled down his hood. Harry knew this man from the time when he had come out in this shop in his second year to find Lucius Malfoy there. Harry looked at the man and said in a drawling voice "Well, I wanted to take back some of the things father gave you. You know that father is in desperate need of help"

The man nodded and said "I have heard of the unfortunate incident. I…" Harry cut short the man saying "Look, I don't have much time. Just get me everything which father gave you. I have to meet ONE important person tomorrow with these things…I hope you under stand WHO that important person is" Harry said with a challenge and a threat in his voice. The man looked terrified beyond words and gulped. He understood what consequences could await him if he did not do as he was been asked too. He quickly closed the shop door with a flick of his wand and went towards a back door. When he came back, he had several bags in his hand. "These are all that I have."

Harry glanced at them and said "I'll verify this with my father. If anything is missing…" the man before him was trembling at the cold voice of Harry who, according to him, was Draco Malfoy. Harry went through the things in the bag which contained lots of papers and dark artefacts and said "Seems ok to me but I am not the one who decides what is ok or not. I am only a messenger. Hopefully I will bring only good news for you. If father sees that everything is ok then he will reward you beyond his dreams."

"Where is he and when will he come back?"

"Wherever he is, he won't be there for long. The Dark Lord is ready to bring him back." The mention of Voldemort made the man shiver. "Are there any spying devices with you?" Harry queried again in a drawling voice. The man nodded and came back with a bag which had a wide assortment of various sized devices which had various functionalities. He described every function to Harry. Harry seemed pleased with them. "I'll take them all. How much for these?" Harry said in a voice which left no room for any argument. After paying the man the required money along with a hefty tip for been helpful, Harry left the shop, pulling his hood so as to cover his whole face. Harry went straight for the gent's toilet and changed back to his previous appearance and clothes. He checked his watch to see that it was a quarter-to-six in the evening. He had finished all his tasks in 15 minutes lesser time than he had anticipated in the morning.

He looked at all the shrunken things in his bag and with a satisfied smile, started to walk back to the apparition point of Diagon Alley. Just as he was nearing the place, his heart started to thump very hard. He stopped in his tracks and pondered for a second whether he was having a heart-attack or not but then decided that he was too young for it. Also, heart-attacks didn't occur all of a sudden when the person had no past medical record of a bad heart condition (_unless it was an exceptional case, which made Harry wonder for a moment – he was an exceptional case_). Suddenly, he remembered that he had the wizard-radar around his neck which hung to just the right level of his heart. This could mean only one thing – _a dark wizard was nearby_. Harry thought for a moment and came to a conclusion. He started running to the apparition point thinking that he just couldn't start to fight a dark wizard and hand him over to the ministry. At least, not until Fudge was the minister. He wanted to capture the wizard for himself and take him back to his home. But he didn't know how to do it (_he made a mental note that he would have to learn how to make portkeys_) and the only one who could help him at this stage was…

"DOBBY…DOBBY" Harry shouted as he apparated back to his home. Dobby popped right in front of him, surprised at Harry's shouting. He seemed almost afraid that he had done something wrong. "I is…" Dobby began but Harry stopped him.

"Dobby, you can pop back here with a person, right?" Dobby nodded and said "But it is painful Harry Potter"

"Don't worry, the person will be stunned. Listen to me now. I am going to apparate back to Diagon Alley and you will pop right beside me. You have to remain invisible, can you do that?" Dobby nodded his head so vigorously that Harry wondered whether it would fall off but he continued all the same "There is a dark wizard there." Dobby seemed shocked when he heard that "I will try to capture him. If I manage to stun him, you will take him and pop back here. If I get injured, then you will take me and pop back here, understood? We have to hurry or he will get away." The finality in Harry's voice left no chance for Dobby to say that he preferred to have Dumbledore there. Before Dobby had any chance to think anymore, Harry vanished with a slight pop. Dobby blinked for a moment and seeing that he had no other choice, he too popped to Diagon Alley.

"You there?" Harry queried

"Yes Harry Potter." The voice came from an invisible spot. Harry felt relieved to have Dobby by his side. At once, Harry took out his wizard-radar (_which had started vibrating again_) and scanned for the dark wizard (_maybe there are more, he thought_). To his surprise, he saw Tonks, Remus and Kingsley Shacklebolt among the people present. There names were in grey color which meant they were under invisibility cloaks and scanning the area for trouble. There were also many green and orange spots. Sarah had explained that the green spots indicated people with low magical power whereas the orange spots meant people with moderate & more-than-average magical power. As he searched the map, he found the person he was looking for. It was an orange spot (_thank god it isn't red otherwise the death-eater would have been very powerful wizard or witch_) with the name as 'DARK WIZARD' underneath. Apparently, Sarah's father had thought that the dark wizards were all scum and weren't worth been named. He saw the label turned into the lane which proceeded towards apparition spot. Harry suddenly stiffened – the death-eater was approaching him directly.

He looked frantically at the map and found a U-turn detour which would enable him to approach the man from behind if he could make it in a run (_Harry was afraid to use the invisibility shield of the glove as he had still not mastered it_). He started to run as fast as his legs could take him. People around looked at him in astonishment but said nothing. As he came back into the alley, he checked the map to see that the man was a little ahead of them (_Dobby was constantly beside him_). Though it was past 6 in the evening, the place seemed a bit too crowded for any action right now. Harry quickly slipped behind some people and started to follow the man. The man was just a few steps from the apparition point when he knew he could wait no more. He didn't care what people saw or tried. He broke into a run (_he was about 20 meters behind the _man), pointed his wand at the man and quietly muttered 'Stupefy' under his breath. People around looked at him in surprise as they saw him running and sparks of light emitting from his wand. Some even screamed as they saw the spell hit the man, who fell to the ground instantly, but Harry had no time to wait. He saw the man vanish and knew that Dobby had done his job.

He was still about 10 meters from the apparition spot when Tonks came into view with her wand raised. Apparently, she had been nearby and had heard the screams of the people nearby. He saw her mutter something and he knew he was too late to produce some counter-jinx. Instantly, he willed his glove to block all the spells, curses and jinxes he knew (_he now knew a lot of advanced auror spells too_). The spell hit the shield (_which was invisible_) and was absorbed by it. Tonks seemed to be stunned as the spell seemed to vanish into thin air about 1 meter from Harry whom she didn't recognize in his disguise. Harry used the time to make a final jump to the apparition point, throwing himself head-first. He couldn't risk getting caught or his freedom would come to an end then and there. As he was landing, he saw Tonks raising her wand again and taking aim. Even as Tonks started to mutter a spell, Harry had landed at the apparition point. The spell which came out of Tonks wand seemed to be correctly aimed but hit the wall behind the apparition point as the person standing there apparated away seconds before the spell would have hit him.

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"What happened?" Remus asked Tonks as he came running to her. He had also heard some screams of the people.

"One guy stunned someone and then apparated away. I don't know how but the stunned guy just…just…vanished. He couldn't have apparated away, then how did he get away?" Tonks pondered aloud.

"A portkey maybe" Remus suggested as Kingsley joined them. Tonks updated him as well. "What was the guy like, the one who got away?" Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt asked Tonks.

"Long hair covering his face, 5 ft 6 or 5 ft 7 inches, muggle clothes, very agile. I couldn't see the guy who was down but the people around here said that he was about 6 ft tall, normal build and had a hood covering his face." Tonks said. She had asked some people about the stunned person before Remus had come running. "It may not have been a guy at all. Could have been a tall woman instead." Remus said as Tonks looked at him in surprise. Now that she thought about it, it seemed possible.

"Well, we can do nothing more. We should report this to the Order" Kingsley said as he led the way to the apparition point.

'But who was that guy who blocked my stunning spell without even saying a spell' Tonks was unable to find the answer to this question which repeatedly popped up in her mind.

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"Is Harry Potter ok?"

"Yes Dobby. Thank you for helping me. I really am grateful to you." Dobby seemed as if he would start crying at this complement. But the more urgent matter came back into his mind. "The bad wizard is over there Harry Potter" he said as he pointed to a stunned body lying nearby. Harry nodded and asked Dobby to follow him. Harry leviated the body and moved it to one of the dungeons below. He put multiple charms (_along with the anti-disapparation jinx_) on the dungeon so that the death-eater couldn't apparate away. He stunned the death-eater 2 more times to ensure than he didn't regain consciousness (_Harry knew that one could throw off the spell if they had a strong enough mind_) until Harry had returned from taking his dinner. After having a quick dinner, Harry quickly went through his purchases and arranged them as quickly as possible. He took about 15 minutes going through Lucius Malfoy's things. There were numerous artifacts and papers. As Harry went through them quickly, his eyes began to shine brightly. At last, he had something which he had desperately wanted for many years. He quickly said the password for his hidden rack which had the glove-box and put everything away on it. The rack then vanished from sight. He didn't want anyone near them.

"Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter?"

"I am going to talk to the death-eater. It may take some time. Do you have any truth potion with you?"

"No sir, Dobby is not having anything like that but Dobby can get you the ingredients for making truth serums." Dobby was looking at the floor in shame as he said this. He had been unable to fulfill the request of his master.

"Thank you Dobby. I will require those ingredients later. I will talk to you about it tomorrow. And thank you for everything you did today. Go and sleep well." These comments brought Dobby back to his high spirits. It was not everyday that a wizard praised a house-elf in such a manner, and that too, twice in a time span of a few hours.

"Harry Potter is a great wizard who has an even bigger heart. Dobby is grateful for serving Harry Potter" Dobby said this as he popped away to his bedroom.

Harry's smile vanished as soon as Dobby vanished. Tonight was going to be a long night for him. He would have to interrogate a death-eater. He decided to change into someone else but then he realized that he was still in the same disguise as in Diagon Alley. At least, the death-eater will never recognize him. With a single black object in his hand, he proceeded towards the dungeons. As Harry was about to open the dungeon door he decided that he had only one option – to use the Imperius curse to get the death-eater to answer his answers. As much as he hated using an unforgivable, it was just impossible for him to avoid now. As he entered the dungeon, he saw that the death-eater was still stunned. Harry took the object in his hand – it was one of the spying devices he had got from Lucius Malfoy's things – and thought what shape would be the best one. This device could take on the shape of anything which Harry wanted. Harry turned it into a button and replaced one of the buttons on the cloak of the death-eater with his spying device. Anything transmitted from this device could be picked up by a receiving device which was also among Lucius Malfoy's things. With relief, hoping that the death-eater would not notice the difference between the buttons, Harry seated the death-eater on one of the two chairs (_across a table_) which Dobby had placed there. As he seated the death-eater, took away his wand from his pocket and de-stunned him, the death-eaters head rolled back causing his hood to fall back. His eyes were still closed and his face was drained of any color but the freckles on his face were unmistakable. Harry stumbled backwards at the man before him who was trying to open his eyes now.

Across the table sat none other than Percy Weasley.

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**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 4'th chapter. Sorry, it took me 10 days to update it but I couldn't stop writing. I didn't want you guys to be disappointed but if you are, then just say it in your reviews.

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	5. Reactions

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 5 – Reactions**

As he seated the death-eater, took away his wand from his pocket and de-stunned him, the death-eaters head rolled back causing his hood to fall back. His eyes were still closed and his face was drained of any color but the freckles on his face were unmistakable. Harry stumbled backwards at the man before him who was trying to open his eyes now.

Across the table sat none other than Percy Weasley.

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"You have brought me good news. I am pleased with you." The red eyes were glimmering with happiness, _if there was such a feeling which this creature could feel_, as a figure stood before him. The man in front had his head bowed all the time when he was in front of _his Lord_.

"Avery, go and give the new members a chance to prove themselves. Whoever is able to bring Potter will be rewarded beyond their dreams." Upon hearing this command, a hooded man, who had been standing in a circle, went out to carry his master's orders. He knew that his master always kept his word. He himself had been rewarded for his successes – and failures.

"You may go now Severus."

Sweating profusely, Harry woke up. He had just had another vision of Voldemort along with his death-eaters. They were now looking for him – thanks to that greasy, slimy git. He knew that Snape was a death-eater who worked for the Order but he still had doubts about his real intentions. He passed on information to both Voldemort & the Order. Dumbledore always vouched for his trustworthiness but the same Dumbledore had also been _trying_ to protect Harry for the past 5 years from Voldemort. 'What if Snape isn't just another one of the old man's blundering mistakes?' Harry found himself pondering on this question again as he slowly got up and drank a glass of water. He never put anything past Snape and, since this summer's events, he never put any mistake past Dumbledore. But…wait a minute…this dream was unlike any of those he had had before. He had meditated before he went to sleep and had put his mental shields up, so Voldemort shouldn't have been to penetrate his mind. Also, the one's which he always had before were more like nightmares – when Voldemort had been very happy or when he was killing or torturing someone. In this case too Voldemort seemed to be happy at receiving the news of Harry going missing BUT he wasn't _too_ happy about it. He would only be very happy about this if someone could give him the exact address where Harry was. "Then how come I could see what I did? What was all this about?" Hundreds of questions and possibilities came up in his mind. Finally, Harry decided to put this thing off till the next morning. This had been one of the worst nights in his life for quite some years now. As he lay back on his bed, he recounted what had happened that night. Slowly he fell into a deep sleep.

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Harry had been shocked to see Percy. He had never imagined that Percy could be a death-eater. As Percy was trying to open his eyes, Harry stunned him again. He had to think. He needed some time to think. He started to pace around the dungeon. Percy, the elder brother of his best mate Ron, son of Mr. & Mrs. Weasley who made him feel like he was a part of their family – what would he say to them? Or should he remain silent? But this matter was too grave for him to remain silent. Should he tell Dumbledore? No, the reply came promptly from somewhere deep within though he didn't know the reason behind this. Should he tell Remus? Maybe. But all this telling could wait. He had to arrange for something right now. "What am I going to do now? I can't just let Percy open his eyes and find himself in an uncommon place. But maybe I am wrong, maybe this goddamn radar doesn't work." Harry was trying to convince himself. "Well, the only way to find out is to check for yourself" With this thought, Harry raised the sleeves of Percy's right arm. There it was, no doubt about it – the dark mark was burned onto his upper arm. "What to do? What to do?" Harry's mind was all jumbled up by now. He was unprepared for all this. Then he did the thing which came into his mind – meditate. He meditated for about 10 minutes and came to a conclusion – he had to send Percy back unharmed. He couldn't let Percy see him and wasn't in the mood to use the imperius on him. The best use of Percy was to be a spy for Harry without his knowing so.

"DOBBY" Harry shouted as he pulled the hood to cover Percy's face.

"Yes Harry Potter" Dobby popped in front of him within seconds.

"Please take this man back to the place where you found him and enervate him, ok? And don't let anyone see you."

"Ok Harry Potter" Dobby said with terrified eyes. It was quite obvious that he didn't like dealing with dark wizards.

Once Dobby was gone, Harry apparated back to his room, his mind swirling with thoughts "Percy? How did he get into this? Everyone knows he is a bit power-hungry – but this is just **too** much. When did this happen? Who should I talk to about this?" Harry finally fell asleep while pondering over all this.

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"Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter"

"Thank you for your help tomorrow." Dobby looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Can you help me out today also?" It was more a question than a command.

"Dobby is doing everything Harry Potter commands"

"Then I will not ask you for anything." Dobby looked up to noticing the regret in Harry's voice. "Is Dobby doing anything wrong?" Dobby's voice was almost a whisper. He looked as if he had just committed the most horrendous crime anyone could think of.

"Yes Dobby. You still haven't been able to accept me as your friend. You still see me as your master. When I had asked Dumbledore to send you over, I wanted a friend to come over, not a servant. I never command you to do anything…ok…maybe the menu of my meals since you are a wonderful cook…but apart from that…" Harry's voice trailed off to show his disappointment. If Harry had been looking at Dobby he would have seen wave after wave of emotions passing over him – grief, relief, grief again for hurting Harry and finally, after taking his decision, happiness.

"Harry Potter is the best wizard in the world. Dobby is wanting to be his friend" Dobby said, bouncing on his feet but added thoughtfully "But Dobby is never having a friend so Dobby don't know how to behave like a friend."

"Well Dobby, you can behave with me like you do with other house-elfs" At this, Dobby's eyes rounded up in horror. Such a thought was worse than having to go to hell, Dobby thought. Harry seemed to understand Dobby's problem and provided a different suggestion "Well…ok…you have seen Ron and Hermione with me, haven't you?" Dobby nodded indicating an affirmative response. "Well, behave with me like they behave with me. Talk to me when you have problems, give me suggestions when I do something wrong, tell me what to do, even though I may not do it, AND wipe off that guilty look from your face." Harry finished off. Dobby seemed quite content with this explanation and smiled back.

"So, what is Harry Potter requesting his friend Dobby to do?" Dobby's question brought a smile on Harry's face.

"Well Dobby, could you get me some information as to how to make a portkey?"

"But it is illegal Harry Potter." Seeing the look on Harry's face Dobby continued "Ok. Dobby is knowing some elves in the Ministry building – they are giving Dobby the information."

"Thank you Dobby. Just remember, I will need it quick" At this, Dobby gave a majestic bow and popped away leaving a laughing Harry behind him.

Harry got up and went to his room. He quickly went through the papers which he belonged to Lucius Malfoy and finally came to the one he was searching for. Going through each and every line carefully, Harry decided his course of action. He made a copy of the parchment and proceeded to the fireplace and made a quick call. After the call (_in which he fixed an appointment 2 days from now)_, a very satisfied Harry returned to his room and found a book. As he went through the book (_The Complete Reference To Portkeys_), he seemed to have finally forgotten his bad experience of the previous night.

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"This place seems so lonely now…even with so many people here" Remus's voice was very sad as he spoke with Tonks who looked equally upset. The scenario around was one of absolute chaos. Everyone was speculating why Dumbledore had called an emergency meeting. This wasn't a meeting of only the Order members because many non-order members were present. All the Weasleys, except for Percy, were there along with Hagrid. Hermione had also been called over to everyone's surprise. There was McGonagall who was having a chat with Mrs. Figg. Mundungus was talking to Mad-Eye whose face was fixed in a scowl. Apart from these all too familiar faces, there were many others who had arrived and many more that were arriving. Only Snape seemed to be standing in a corner oblivious to everyone around. Almost everyone had arrived except for Albus Dumbledore. Taking a look at her watch, Tonks saw that it was still 10 minutes before the meeting started.

"Yeah. It was quite fun though I wanted to curse him everytime I stumbled over something." Tonks replied with a faraway look, remembering how it was with Harry around.

"You know, he really is like James and I shouldn't worry about him too much. But I can't help it now when he is the only one close enough to be a family for me. I mean, if something happened now…" Remus's voice trailed away. Tonks had become familiar with this attitude now. She knew that if anything happened to Harry then Remus wouldn't be able to live with it. He was almost daily cursing himself and had been carrying out the orders of Dumbledore half-heartedly.

"But he should have talked to us first before taking such a hasty decision." This seemed to have an effect on Remus though it was not one which Tonks had expected.

"Talk to us about what Tonks? About what?" Remus's voice was filled with deep anger but he managed to keep his voice low. "Tell me, what has happened over the past 5 years when he had always _talked_ to someone. Do you have any idea of how lonely that boy is or what he has gone through? People think he's some kind of a freak, that slimy git makes him the laughing stock in his class, that Malfoy kid makes his life hell in school and when he goes back home…well…I won't call it a home…it is more of a torture cell for him. And Sirius…WHY DID DUMBLEDORE DO THIS TO HIM?" Remus almost spat out the last sentence which stunned Tonks. She knew that Harry's life had not been an easy one. Also, she had assumed that both Harry and Remus may have recovered somewhat from the events at DoM. Apparently she had been wrong about both the things. She could see the anger and grief on Remus's face. She was about to say something when Remus spoke again "Look at them" He said pointing out the Weasleys. "Look how happy they are, Look at the Hermione – she has her parents at home…goddamnit…look at yourself. All of you have families who care for you. Has anyone ever shunned you Tonks? Say, for being a werewolf or for being someone with a scar? You guys don't know what it is like when there is no one else for you. I just wonder how Harry manages to do all that he does. He is so selfless yet…yet look at how life has treated him…how _we_ have treated him. I have learned to live with my fate sealed but I don't want Harry to have such a life. At least, I had Sirius & James around to fill up the loneliness in my life…" Tonks noted the omission of Peter's name but said nothing "…but who does Harry have? I thought maybe I could help him but that…that old man took him away from me. He – just - can't – see – us - happy." The contempt in his voice made Tonks speechless. She knew that Remus would never do anything against Dumbledore but obviously Harry meant more to him than the whole world put together. Tonks placed a hand on Remus's hand and gave it a squeeze. Remus didn't look up.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione and Ron said in chorus. They were both standing in front of Remus and Tonks and held each other's hands. Remus looked at them for a moment and then glanced at their hands. Suddenly Hermione became self-conscious and weaved her fingers out of Ron's hand fingers, much to Ron's displeasure. Tonks decided that she had to divert the conversation in some other direction, otherwise she would have to tell them about Harry "I will tell about Harry but first tell me when you two became an item" Tonks asked in here carefree manner which made Hermione blush deeply while Ron's face turned into the famous weasley-red color.

"well…uh…" Hermione just wasn't able to bring herself to it. Finally, she gave up and said as quickly as possible "Just during this summer." "Now, where is Harry?" Hermione also wanted to steer clear of the topic of her and Ron's relationship.

Tonks glanced at Remus and was about to cook up some wild cock-and-bull story when, thankfully, Dumbledore arrived. "We should get to the meeting now." she said promptly, dragging Remus along with her. They were only one of the few people who knew that Harry's sudden departure was the actual agenda of the meeting.

When everyone was seated, Dumbledore rose, but before he could begin Mrs. Weasley interrupted him.

"Albus, where is Harry? He isn't sick, is he?"

"Ah Molly…Don't worry about that. Harry is doing well wherever he is"

"What do you mean 'wherever he is'" retorted Mrs. Weasley in a higher tone of voice as she eyed Dumbledore suspiciously. Dumbledore refused to meet her eye and started to say what he feared would cause panic among everyone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I called this meeting to inform everyone of the fact that Mr. Potter has left this place…"

"WHAT???" Molly Weasley stood up causing her chair to fall back "What do you mean by that?" Everyone now seemed to have the same question (_except for a few select people_) though no one had the courage to _demand_ an explanation from Dumbledore in the manner in which Mrs. Weasley did.

"Well, a few days ago…" Dumbledore was again interrupted by Mrs. Weasley "HOW MANY DAYS AGO?"

"Well, I will give you all the facts if you just let me finish Molly." Mrs. Weasley reluctantly sat down, breathing heavily and having to retrieve her chair from where it had fallen. "9 days ago, Harry left this house for an undisclosed location. He left in the dead of the night and Remus and Tonks discovered it in the morning" A few heads turned towards both of them "Remus notified me at once. I, along with Alastor, Severus, Minerva, Remus and Tonks searched for him but in vain. I got a letter in which Harry had requested for the services of Dobby. Dobby found out Harry and reported to us that he was safe though he did not disclose Harry's location." At this, there was a collective sigh of relief across the room though Mrs. Weasley was still frowning and breathing heavily. "So, Mr. Potter is somewhere safe now though we don't know his location" Dumbledore finished.

The scene around the table was one to remember. Everyone was stunned for a minute and then started to ask questions to Dumbledore in what seemed to be a rapid-fire question-answer round.

"Where did you search?"

"What if he is in the hands of you-know-who?"

"What if he has been kidnapped?"

"Do you know how he is now?"

"When was the last you heard from him?"

Hagrid sat in a corner silently listening to everything. He had full confidence in Dumbledore. If Dumbledore was sure that Harry was safe, then Harry really was safe. But he too was wondering as to where Harry had gone and how come no one of the search group had been able to find him. After all, these weren't any average wizards. Still they had been unable to locate him.

On the other hand Dumbledore was trying to answer all the questions to his optimum limit and as calmly as possible. For the first time in their lives, Fred and George Weasley seemed worried too. Mr. Weasley seemed to be lost in thought while Hermione was crying silently on Ron's shoulders whose face had an unreadable expression.

"IT'S ALL THEIR FAULT" Suddenly everyone stopped to look at Molly Weasley who was pointing her fingers at Tonks and Remus. "THEY DIDN'T TAKE PROPER CARE OF HIM." No one had suspected that Molly Weasley would react like this. Even Dumbledore waited to see what the response would be. No one dared to breathe a single word now.

"MOLLY WEASLEY, BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT YOU SAY." Remus bellowed with so much anger that everyone looked very scared. No one had seen him this angry (_some of the people present had never seen him get angry_). Fred and George silently approved and applauded his response – no one had stood up to their mother in that manner. Mrs. Weasley looked shocked and opened her mouth to say something but Remus continued in the same menacing tone "Who do you think you are? You always think only _you_ care about Harry. What do you think he is to me – some kind of garbage? What do you think he was to Sirius? Remember last year when we were talking right here and you didn't let Harry hear what we had to say? You have always treated him as a child - now look what that has led to. LOOK AT WHAT IT HAS DONE TO SIRIUS AND HIM. ALL OF THE HALF-TRUTHS AND YOUR TREATMENT HAS LED TO _THIS_." No one had seen Remus so angry ever. Even Dumbledore was dumbstruck. "You always made him feel like Sirius was nothing to him, that I was nothing to him. Look at what has happened after Sirius. AND LAST YEAR YOU HAD SAID THAT SIRIUS WAS A BAD GODFATHER FOR HARRY, REMEMBER? DO YOU REMEMBER WOMAN?" Remus was trembling all over in anger. Suddenly Remus's voice turned into mocking tone "Who are you blaming Molly? Me? Tonks? Sirius's death? Who Molly, who the hell are you blaming? Where were you all these days? How many times did you come to see him?"

"Albus told me it was risky and Harry needed some time alone" Mrs. Waesley said defensively

"Don't try to cover up, will you? How many owls did Harry get these days? Tonks, you remember Harry receiving any letters from _anyone_?" Remus glared at Ron and Hermione for a second, both of whom looked away. They had been too busy in their new-found relationship. Not receiving an answer from Tonks, Remus continued with a threat in his voice "If anyone blames me or Tonks or, for that matter, Harry, then they better watch their mouth. No one talks bad about my family, especially in front of me" With that Remus sat down again, managing to keep his whole body from trembling. No one said anything, especially after his last threat while Tonks was bowled over by the statement of her being 'family'. She had become quite close to both Harry and Remus over the past month and she had begun to think of Remus as her elder brother who always objected to her doing anything which he might think wrong (_that what elder brothers always do, don't they?_). But today was the first day Remus had called her a part of their family. She really felt grateful for that.

The silence all around was deafening. Dumbledore chose this moment for closing the proceedings "Since no one has anything more to say AND also because any argument is _not_ going to bring back Harry here, I think we all go back to our respective homes. All of you must be tired after a hectic day's work." With a quick nod to everyone, Dumbledore left the house. Slowly, everyone else also left including a very tense and hurt Mrs. Weasley.

Once everyone had left, Tonks looked around to see that Remus had gone over to his chair by the fire. As Tonks approached him she saw the pain and anguish on his face. Silently, Tonks sat down opposite to him. None of them found anything to say to each-other. Both were lost in their own thoughts. For the first time in her life, Tonks had realized the importance of Harry in Remus's life. She also missed him – his teasing her, his chuckling whenever she knocked over something or tripped over the umbrella stand, his emerald green eyes and most of all she missed Harry as a person. No one noticed when both of them fell asleep in their respective chairs.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Harry's head popped up in the fire.

Slowly Remus & Tonks looked up groggily. "Wotcher Har" Tonks was the first to say. She was very pleased to see Harry again and felt sure that Remus' s mood will improve too. Turning around she saw Remus give a feeble smile. He opened his mouth to say something but Harry was quicker.

"What's the matter Remus? You don't look good to me." Harry's voice had become serious and he raised his eyebrows in a questioning look. Remus just smiled and said "Just a bit of Order problem". Hearing this, Tonks felt her heart go out to both of them. Here were both of them who were dead worried about either but none wanted to burden the other.

"Nah Moony, you don't fool around with me. Hey Tonks, what's his problem? I just have the feeling that something is seriously wrong."

Tonks turned to Remus who gave her a look meaning 'Dont say anything' but Harry was quick to catch onto it. "I know that look Moony. Tonks, you better say something because it seems that this werewolf is not going to tell me anything."

Tonks gave in and described to Harry what had happened some hours ago. Harry felt very grateful for Remus's standing up for him but he was worried about Mrs. Weasley too. Harry looked thoughtful for a moment and then said "I'll fix it up with Mrs. Weasley. I know she cares about me but sometimes it is just too much. How _dare_ she blame you guys?"

"No Harry, you are not going to say anything about what happened tonight. I forbid you to do so." Remus's said in a very commanding voice. Harry looked straight into his eyes and saw the pain in them. He understood perfectly the love which Remus felt for him and finally said "Ok. I will listen to you but on one condition" Saying this, Harry waited for Remus's response which came as an affirmative nod.

"Now that Sirius is gone, will you be my…godfather?" Harry asked tentatively. The response evoked by this statement was something which Tonks had not expected though it seemed Harry was prepared for it. "It would be…" Remus almost choked with tears. He was now crying. "…my privilege" He barely managed to say these words. Looking at Harry she saw that he too was crying. Both of them were crying one minute and laughing the next. They seemed happy beyond words. Remus, who just a couple of hours ago was brooding over Harry's absence, looked a different person now. It seemed that he had grown younger by several years. By the time both of them had got a control over themselves, Tonks had started crying too. She had never imagined the kind of love which had existed between these two and was sure that today was the first time they had let their feelings know to each other in such an open fashion.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry said with a mocking voice. Tonks looked up at Harry and Remus and started crying again. This amused them to no end. Finally Tonks gained her composure and smiled at both of them. "I love both of you so much" she said.

"Hey, I am too old for you"

"And I am too young"

These sudden responses had their desired effect. Tonks blushed a deep red which would have given the Weasleys a run for their money. "I didn't mean it…uh…I just…" she was unable to finish her sentence. Both Remus & Harry were laughing their head off. Even Tonks joined in after some time.

"Ok. Now, to celebrate the acceptance Remus for being my new godfather…" Harry looked at Remus and then turned to Tonks with an evil grin on his face and continued "…and to celebrate the _love_ of Tonks for both of us…" Tonks looked livid. She knew that this was going to haunt her for a long time. "…I invite both of you to my new house day-after-tommorow. What say you?" Harry finished in a dramatic fashion.

Both Remus and Tonks looked very happy and agreed promptly.

"OK. Be here tomorrow at this time and I will give you the instructions." When both of them nodded in reply, Harry exchanged a few more pleasantries with them and then went back to his room. That night, 3 people went to sleep with a smile on their faces.

[][][][]

"Where do you think Harry is?" It was Ron who broke the tense silence in the room. Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione and Ron sat in Ron's room after coming back from 12 Grimmauld Place. Their mother had promptly retired to her room after dinner without saying anything to anyone so they had all gathered in Ron's room. Everyone looked worried. No one had expected something like this to happen.

"We are to blame for all this. We never got the time to write Harry a letter. How much time would it have taken – 5 minutes or 10 minutes? But we didn't do that." Hermione's voice was filled with regret. Ron and Hermione were so lost in their own new-found relation that they had forgotten about Harry over the past weeks.

"Well guys, I think wherever he is, he is well off. At least, he is better than being at the HQ." Fred said matter-of-factly while George nodded in agreement. "Yes, as far as I know Harry, he won't take any hasty decisions…not after what happened this summer." George chipped in to Fred's agreement.

"But why didn't he tell us? At least he could have owl'd me." It was Ron who spoke again this time.

"Ron, you git of a brother, he didn't tell you because he didn't want to. He didn't even say anything to Remus or Dumbledore." Ginny spoke for the first time since she got home. She had always had a little crush on Harry. Even though she now liked Dean Thomas, Harry still had a special place in her heart. It was the same with all the others but none of them had been saved by Harry as Ginny had been in her first year. "And as long as Dobby is with him, I won't worry too much. Dobby cares for him more than all of us put together." This comment from Ginny caused all of them to nod in agreement. Everyone knew that Dobby worshiped Harry for setting him free and he would inform someone if Harry had been in trouble.

"I think Ginny's right" Hermione said with a huge yawn. "We should get to bed or you all will face a tough time tomorrow." All of them realized that she was correct (_as always, muttered Ron_) and went to their rooms. Ginny shared her room with Hermione whom Mrs. Weasley had invited over for the summer after she learnt that Ron and Hermione were together. Ginny lay awake for a long time before finally falling asleep. Everyone missed Harry, but for the first time in the past few years Ginny realized that Harry had done more for her than she could ever have imagined, how much she missed him now that he was not there, how much she longed to see him again…how much…

[][][][]

"Who are you?" Two people were in a private room behind the counter of the Leaky Cauldron. The question had been asked by a person wearing a black robe and a cloak. He had been asked to come here 2 days ago by a stranger who had made a fire call to his office saying that he had some evidence which could cause trouble for him. No one was able to see the stranger's face since he had pulled a hood over it. The man in the hood was talking to a teenager whose hair covered a great part of his face. This teenager was of medium height and had a slim figure, which was starting to fill out in places. He was wearing muggle clothes and looked like one of those rowdy teenagers of this new generation.

"I would like to see your face before I answer." The teenager replied. At this, the man pulled back his hood to reveal the face which was flashed almost daily on _The Daily Prophet_ but it lacked the smile which his photographs had. "Now tell me who you are." The man demanded.

"Minister Fudge, I am just a well-wisher" the teenager replied with a chuckle. His disguise had baffled everyone till now. Harry just wanted to hear the comments of Remus and Tonks when they saw him like that.

"Look, you have to…"

"Sorry minister, today I have all the cards and we play this according to my rules" the voice had suddenly turned cold, devoid of any emotion except hatred. The minister suddenly stiffened as he deciphered the hatred in the voice. With a look of resignation he said "Ok, what do you want? Finish this."

"I want you to resign" Harry said

"Boy, you must be out of your senses. You are asking _me_ to resign?" the voice of the minister was full of loathing for this boy. Though he knew that this boy had everything which he had thought had been destroyed, he still wouldn't give in without a fight.

"Well _Fudge_, look at these. These are only a copy of the original documents. Another copy is ready at my home and my house-elf will hand them over to _The Quibbler_ if I don't reach home by 4:00 in the afternoon." Harry handed him a set of documents. All of them were letters which had been exchanged between the minister and Lucius Malfoy over the period of the past 6 years. The minister shuddered at the thought of what would happen if these letters were given to the press but decided to take some chances.

"How much money do you want?" the minister queried with an almost pleading voice. He was hopeful that this boy would take the money and go away. According to the minister, there was nothing more important in the world than money.

"Look Fudge, I don't have time for this. I don't want your money. But…hmm…I can offer you a deal" Fudge's face brightened at the mention of a _deal_. He was always brilliant at them but it seemed that Harry had understood exactly what he was thinking. "No Fudge, you won't be getting anything out of it except your life. Well, here goes – either you kill yourself so that you can avoid the public humiliation or you resign as the minister. It's up to you."

"No boy…no one will believe these letters." Fudge said with a mock laugh.

"Oh no Fudge. People will see these papers and they will try to verify these. You, as the minister, will HAVE to set up a investigation committee. Since Malfoy is still in Azkaban, he will be interrogated under the influence of Veritaserum. He will confirm all this and then ministry investigators will interrogate you. How about that?" Harry said in a dramatic fashion giving a blow-by-blow account.

"They still won't believe you" Fudge tried to sound convincing but failed desperately. He had started to sweat profusely by now. He may be the minister but he was not one of the strongest wizards around.

"Well, ok then. Check out tommorow's papers. See you." Harry turned and walked away but was stopped by the minister's voice "WAIT…" As Harry turned around, he saw that Fudge was shaking in his chair. Fudge had realized that Harry meant what he had said. "Ok. I will do it."

"Do what?" Harry queried.

"I'll resign only if you hand me over the original's today in an hour."

"Sorry Fudge. I – don't – trust – you. You are one of the greatest bastards around and you expect me to fall for your little trap. You do as I say or else…" Harry finished his sentence in a threatening voice.

"OK. I will resign tomorrow." Fudge queried in despair.

"NO. You will resign on the day I tell you. Don't worry, I won't make you look like some bastard – though you are one. I will give you a chance to go out in dignity. And secondly, you will transfer an amount of 100,000 galleons to a certain vault." Harry finished.

"100,000!!! I don't have that much money." Fudge jumped up from his chair at hearing the amount.

"OK then. See you." Harry turned around again and started to walk again.

"STOP. I will transfer the money. But please make it less. Please, make it 10,000 galleons" Fudge started pleading. Even though 100,000 galleons was not too much for him, he didn't want to give away a single galleon to anyone.

"hmm…let me think…is 100,000 a good amount or is 500,000 a better amount?" Harry pondered aloud in a mocking voice. He chuckled slightly at the look of utter horror on Fudge's face.

"OK…ok, I will be able to pay it even though I will become a beggar…I will pay it. Which vault should I transfer it to?"

Harry then mentioned the number of a vault which he had opened that very day at Gringotts. As soon as Fudge agreed to it, they proceeded to Gringotts and transferred the money. Harry watched a very disgruntled Fudge walking away after the transaction had been made. Harry then made a transfer of the exact amount to another vault asking the goblin to keep the transaction anonymous. The goblin, whose name was Tevrid, was only too happy to do so. Harry then left Gringotts with a smile on his face – he had thought of the money at the last moment and it had paid off. Harry then marched off to 'Botoman's Trunks and Equipments' to receive the delivery of his trunk. After another hour, both Mr. Botoman and Harry were smiling when Harry left the shop with his trunk which he had now shrunk to the size of a match-box.

[][][][]

"Dobby" Harry called out as soon as he had apparated back to his home.

"Yes Harry Potter?"

"Listen, tomorrow Remus and Tonks are going to come over." Dobby seemed very happy when he heard this. He now had a chance to show everyone (_ok,_ _maybe not everyone_) that the great Harry Potter was his friend. "I want you to do something tomorrow." Harry then explained his plan to Dobby, whose face dropped on hearing about it. "Don't worry friend, this is a request" Harry said with a chuckle knowing that Dobby won't be able to refuse it however much he wanted to. Dobby just nodded his head and popped away to finish whatever work was left to do.

As soon as Dobby had left, Harry went to his room and enlarged his trunk. It seemed too true to be true. Mr. Botoman had shown him how everything had been done as he had requested. Harry had checked them out and had found that they worked perfectly. Still, he wanted to go through the same experience again.

The outside of the trunk was plain and black in color. The color could be change using the _Incline Infucatus_ spell similar to the procedure of that of Sirius's jacket and pants. The trunk was enchanted to be unbreakable and could only be opened by Harry. To open the trunk, all Harry had to do was touch the lock of the trunk. It used an ancient piece of magic to determine who had touched the trunk. The magic enabled the trunk to be opened by a combination of any 3 things the owner would like for verification. Harry had selected the 3 objects as his skin, blood and his wand. Accordingly Harry had to give a few drops of his blood, some shreds of his skin and a tiny bit of holly wood for the magic to be performed. Only the person who had Harry's skin and blood and was holding the wand in his left hand, while his right hand touched the lock, could open the trunk. The spell checked these 3 things every time someone touched the lock. Harry thought that this was an ingenious idea.

The inside of the trunk was divided into 6 compartments though it looked like a 4 compartment trunk from the outside. The first compartment was designed so that all of Harry's books fitted in nicely. The second compartment was for his clothes whereas the third compartment was designed in a manner so that all miscellaneous or extra things could be put into it. Also, it had 2 broom racks. The fourth compartment was the living quarters of Harry and Dobby along with additional guest rooms for both a human and an elf. The rooms of both Harry and Dobby had been plainly decorated with the required necessities. They were almost similar to their rooms in his home. There was also a kitchen (_with a magical refrigerator_), a spacious bathroom and a drawing room. To anyone, this trunk would have seemed perfectly normal – unless they proceeded to the 5'th and 6'th compartment. Both the remaining compartments were the result of a very ancient piece of magic which Harry had discovered in a book he had brought over from his family vault and, which luckily, Mr. Botoman knew of because of the knowledge his predecessors had passed on to him (_Harry had leaarnt that they were a one of the oldest pureblood families in England_). Both these compartments had rooms similar to the Hogwarts Room of Requirements. The 5'th compartment had just a single room of requirement whereas the 6'th compartment was divided equally into a room of requirement and a simple room having just some basic furniture. Harry was planning to use the 5'th compartment for his training while the 6'th compartment would be his private prison and interrogation chamber. The first 4 compartments were accessible to anyone who was able to open the trunk. These had to be accessed individually. But the entrance to the 5'th compartment was present only in the 4'th compartment. The 4'th, 5'th & the 6'th compartment each had 2 doors – one to either compartment. Harry had specifically asked for these to be interconnected through a special piece of magic. Each of these doors was enchanted so as to let only Harry pass through the doors (_Harry had got the idea from his experience at his family vault_). Others could pass through the doors only if they were escorted by Harry with his own consent (_the doors were enchanted to understand one's feelings too_). The trunk was protected against all kinds of spells apart from the unforgivables. The outside of the trunk had an advanced _Protego_ charm on it so as to make the trunk more spell resistant. All in all, Harry had fallen in love with this trunk and had decided that this was going to be his only trunk until he died (_which could be anytime, he thought_).

After checking the trunk once again, Harry came out and practiced a bit on apparation. He had learnt that there were four kinds of apparation – one was apparation using line of sight, second was apparating to an apparation point, third was apparating to a place where one had been to previously and the fourth was apparation based on the knowledge of the co-ordinates of the place. Harry had already mastered the first two forms of apparation and was beginning to get a grasp of the third form. He was trying to master it. According to the author, the fourth form was the most difficult one as it often took a person to a different place. Harry had decided to master it too but knew that he would require more time to do so. He decided that it will have to wait. Finally, it was dinner time for Harry. Before that, he made a quick fire-call to talk to Tonks and Remus, giving them information as to how he had prepared for their journey. Giving them the required information, he proceeded to enjoy a delicious dinner. After that, Harry gave Dobby a trip to his quarters in the trunk. Once the inspection was complete, a very satisfied wizard and house-elf retired to their respective rooms for a good nights sleep.

"Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter? You is calling Dobby."

"Yes Dobby. You remember about this evening, right?"

"Yes Harry Potter. Dobby is remembering and collecting everything needed. Everything is ready" Dobby said, his voice almost a whisper.

"Dobby. You have got nothing to be ashamed of. Now, don't look like that because I don't like my friends looking like that. I want you to help me with something if you have nothing else to do." Dobby's eyes lighted up with excitement that he would get some work to do.

"Yes Harry Potter. Dobby will be most pleased to help the great wizard Harry Potter."

Harry just smiled at this compliment and said "I am going inside the trunk. I will be gone for sometime. You can always find me, right?" Dobby nodded his head in agreement. "Ok. I will be gone for some time. So, if I get late, then please come and inform me, OK?" Dobby again nodded his head, pleased at his responsibility as Harry climbed into the trunk.

[][][][]

"What do you think Harry is doing now?" Ron and Hermione were sitting outside after having their breakfast. Both of them looked quite worried.

"Don't know." Hermione replied truthfully. "You know, we should have written to him _at least once_"

"Yeah. I know. He must be mad at us" Ron said thoughtfully. "Where's Ginny?" Ron went on to ask.

"Well…um…Ginny is in her room."

"What's she doing up their? I haven't seen her since we got back from HQ."

"She's having a hard time."

"Hard Time? Why?"

"Really, you call yourself her brother and don't understand a thing about her" Hermione was glaring at Ron.

"What?" Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Why does everyone go around blaming me? If _you_ understand her so well than why don't _you_ tell me?

"It's easy, isn't it? She is worried sick over Harry."

"But I thought that she was now worried only about Dean nowadays."

"Really Ron, Harry saved her life for god's sake. How the hell can someone not be worried in such a situation? I sometimes think she still has a soft spot for Harry" Hermione added thoughtfully. Ron just shrugged his shoulders and pursed his lips. He was damn worried about Harry and now he had to worry about Ginny too. After all, he was her big brother and big brothers had to worry about their baby sisters.

[][][][]

After asking Dobby to wait outside, Harry went directly to the 4'th compartment and passed through the door leading to the 5'th compartment. The room was entirely empty. "I need more time to train" He murmured this 3 times to see a clock appear on the opposite wall. He then went on to practice the spells he had learnt in the past few days. He also spent a lot of time trying to get a control over his glove. After about 6 hours, he climbed out and found Dobby waiting for him.

"How long have I been gone Dobby?"

"Harry Potter is going away for 30 minutes in his trunk" Hearing this Harry thought Dobby was joking. But wait, Dobby never joked with Harry. Harry looked at the clock on the wall of the drawing room and saw that Dobby had been correct. "Well well well, this is going to be interesting" Harry thought to himself as he climbed back into the trunk. He went back to the 5'th compartment and started practicing again. Remus and Tonks would arrive after 5 hours which would give him about 60 hours in the trunk. He decided to make the most of it. He started to work on his dueling skills. After some time, he decided he needed an opponent to fight against. "I need someone who will fight me but won't hurt me mortally. Someone who has about the same skill as mine" he said to himself which the room could understand. Suddenly he felt the presence of someone else in the room. Looking around, he saw a person whom he expected to see the least. He saw another Harry Potter.

[][][][]

After waiting for 5 hours outside, Dobby decided to go and check Harry. Remus and Tonks were to arrive soon and Harry had to escort them to 3, Sunshine Villa. Dobby popped right into the 4'th compartment. What he saw left him chuckling. Harry was sleeping on one of the couches in the drawing room.

"Harry Potter, your werewolf and tonkie are coming soon. You is having to get them." Dobby almost shouted in his ears which caused Harry to get up instantly. Harry still felt a bit tired after all his practice and fighting. He had been in the trunk for 2 and half days and had been practicing almost non-stop. He had even been able to gain a lot of control over the shields which his glove could create. The last day had passed by his double casting all kinds of spells at him while he tried to setup shields using his glove. He had a kind of mental contact with his double which enabled his double to stop when Harry could take no more (_it must be due to the room, Harry thought_). They had ultimately stopped after 14 hours of non-stop practice when the whole of Harry's body was aching while his double didn't even seemed to have broken in a sweat (_after all, his existence was controlled by the room_). By the end, Harry could almost put up a shield instantaneously. He had also learnt that the shields could be of two types – one which reflected any spell and another which absorbed a spell. Whenever a shield absorbed a spell, the power was transferred to Harry, which in turn, caused his next spell to be more powerful than normal. He knew that he would have to work on this more so that he could somehow store this reserve power for use when he needed it most. But for the time being, he was just happy to be able to control the shields.

"Thanks Dobby" Harry said as Dobby popped away. He climbed out of his trunk and put on some muggle clothes. Before going out, he went near the fireplace and touched his name on the tapestry and said "Harry Potter". Immediately, a light seemed to be emitted from each and every object in the house and the tapestry seemed to absorb all of it. After a few blinding seconds, the house looked like what it did on Harry's first night here – a truly gloomy place where no one could ever like to stay.

[][][][]

Remus and Tonks were in a small alley close to the Leaky Cauldron. They had been waiting for a few minutes when Harry apparated behind them with a slight pop which went unnoticed in the noise created by all the muggle traffic in London. He silently took out his wizard radar and saw that there were no other magical people here other than these two people here.

"Hi you guys" Both Remus and Tonks turned around, wands pointed at the source of the voice.

"Password?" Tonks asked without lowering her wand.

"Snape is a greasy git" Harry replied with a chuckle.

"OK Harry. Did – you - just – apparate - here?" Tonks asked suspiciously. At Harry's nod, both Tonks and Remus exchanged concerned and admiring glances. Concerned because Harry was obviously trying things which he shouldn't be trying to do (_at least according to them_), admiring because Harry had been successful at them.

"How did you learn it?" Remus asked.

"Later Remus, Later" Harry just waved him off. Remus shrugged his shoulders.

"OK. Now, how about we go to your new home." Remus said pocketing his wand "It's not safe talking here in the middle of muggle London.

"Right you are. Ready for another Knight Bus ride?" Both Harry and Remus looked amused at the terrified look on Tonks face. "Don't worry, my dear Tonks, you won't fall off the bus."

"You know Mr. Harry Potter, I will be settling scores with you sometime soon. It will be at a time when you least expect it" Tonks said with a mock threat in her voice.

Harry chuckled at this and stuck his wand out. No one could here the name of the place which Harry said to Stan, the conductor of the Knight Bus. Stan went up to Ern, the driver, and muttered the destination to him, asking him to take a detour so as not to let anyone have any idea of the location. Ern & Stan were more than happy to do what _Neville_ said because it was not everyday that a person paid 10 galleons as tips for taking a detour.

"Well, here we are" Harry said as all 3 of them reached an area surrounded trees, weeds & more trees. All of them had got off at a remote place and had walked for the past 15 minutes.

"Hey Har, you haven't been living in the trees, have you?" Tonks asked in a tentative voice, unable to decide whether the situation was supposed to be funny or serious.

"No you Pinkhead" Harry said to a furious looking metamorphmagus. "OK guys, read this" Both of them looked at a piece of parchment at read it slowly _"Open Sesame"_.

"Harry, is – this – what – I – think – it - is?" Remus asked slowly as Tonks stood with her jaw hanging open. Harry just nodded his head in reply.

"Nah Remus, he is taking us for a ride. Hey Har, please stop all this & tell us what it is all about." Tonks said in any angry tone. After all, who would expect a soon to be 16 year old to perform such advanced magic which most of the wizards didn't even dare to try. Harry calmly took the parchment and burnt it with a spell.

"Hey, you aren't supposed to perform magic out of school" Tonks voice was even angrier now. The last thing everyone wanted was for Harry to get into a mess for underage magic.

"Tonks, relax. I am not supposed to even apparate, right? Ok, tell me - do you see any ministry owls around? No? Well, I can do magic. I have been doing it all the time I have been here." Harry replied to a stunned looking Tonks and Remus who seemed to have trouble digesting all these things at once. Both were looking around expecting ministry owls to come in flocks but were stunned to see none. Remus was the first to recover.

"Tonks, I think we are here for a surprise. We are better off trusting Harry rather than standing here looking like fools." Tonks nodded in reply unable to say anything. Apparently, she was still shocked.

"Open Sesame" the three of them said simultaneously. Out of nowhere, a ragged looking house, which seemed to have been bombarded during the Second World War, came into view, pushing apart everything in its path. Slowly, Remus and Tonks made their way up to the house, looking at the house and trying to get over the shock. Once inside, they were even more shocked.

"You live in this rat-hole?" Tonks asked to an amused Harry. "I mean, LOOK – AT – THIS - PLACE." Tonks was literally shouting now. "You are better off with the muggles than stay at this place."

"Harry, what have you done now? I think there is more to this than meets the eye." Remus eyed him suspiciously. Apparently, he did not want to jump to any conclusions without Harry's confirmation. Harry just smiled at him and went up to the tapestry. He was already satisfied at his guest's reactions and wanted to get to the next part of the play. Once again he touched his name on the tapestry and said his name. The blinding light worked like it had done on the first occasion when Harry had come here. By the time Remus and Tonks had a look at these _new_ surroundings, Harry had doubled up in laughter. Oh, how he wished that Colin Creevy had been there with his camera.

After everyone had settled down (_Tonks and Remus had done a quick survey of the house while Harry waited in the drawing Room. Harry said nothing about the dungeons below._), Remus said "OK young man, what is next on your plan. We have 3 more hours here so you can give us some more surprises."

"SOME MORE??? Are you mad, Remus? One more thing like this and I will be in St. Mungo's." Tonks bellowed. "Hey Har, now I know why you ran away. if I had such a lovely place, I too would have run away from that blasted house." Tonks voice was tinged with a hint of sorrow. Apparently, that house held many memories of Sirius, who had been Tonk's uncle, and Tonk's didn't like it without Sirius around. The events of the summer had been hard on Tonks too.__

"No. I don't have any more surprises. At least not now." Harry winked back at Tonks. "As for you two, you are always welcome here to stay as long as you like"

Tonks was almost jumping in joy. "Did you hear that Remus? Well, I should be going now. Have to pack a lot of things." Remus shot an angry glare at Tonks who slumped back in her chair muttering 'spoilsport'.

"Thanks for the offer Harry but you know we can't." Harry nodded his head in agreement. He had known Remus's answer long before he made the offer.

They then continued to talk for a while about all the things that were happening. Harry first told them how he had corrected his eyesight and had learnt to apparate. Remus then informed Harry that nothing much had been heard about Voldemort after his attack on Privet Drive. The Order was trying to recruit new members for its fight against Voldemort. Harry informed Remus of his vision where he had seen Snape informing Voldemort about his going missing and how Voldemort had assigned his new recruits the task of finding him.

"WHAT? That git told You-Know-Who that you were missing?" Tonks looked furious and continued before Harry could say anything. "He didn't say anything at the Order meeting that night."

"Dumbledore knows" Harry said confidently.

"How can you be sure about that?" Tonks asked.

"Well, he normally knows everything, doesn't he?" Harry said matter-of-factly. Remus looked thoughtfully and said "Yes, he will know about it. Snape must have asked for his permission before doing anything like that. But our main concern is that Voldemort is recruiting new members. The Order had been suspecting this but this is our first official confirmation." At that moment, Harry felt tempted to inform them about Percy but controlled himself. He decided to wait for the right time.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Remus's mind. "Harry, you still have those nightmares? I thought you had learnt a bit of Occulmency." Remus queried with concern in his voice.

"Oh…I wanted to talk to you guys about this. I have also been thinking about this. Actually, it _was not_ a nightmare. It seemed so normal. My scar didn't even burn. I just woke up feeling sweaty but I am definitely sure that it was not a nightmare. I don't know exactly WHY I saw what I did." Harry looked puzzled as he explained them.

"Well, I'll have to talk to Dumbledore about this. Maybe he'll have a answer" Remus said thoughtfully. Harry agreed with him. They had talked for over an hour after which Harry got up.

"Dobby" The elf popped right next to him. "See if our guests require anything. I will be in the kitchen for some time." Dobby nodded his head as Harry went into the kitchen.

"What's he up to now?" Tonks asked to no one in particular.

"Harry Potter has decided to cook dinner for his werewolf and tonkie" Dobby said. "TONKIE!!! Why you little…" Tonks bellowed at Dobby before Remus managed to calm her down. Dobby popped away before any further damage was done.

"Harry, what's that thing on your finger? A ring? Who gave it to you?" Tonks asked, when Harry came out of the kitchen, noticing for the first time that there was a ring on the middle finger of Harry left hand. An emerald green stone decorated the ring perfectly.

"Oh. It's nothing really. I brought it from one of the shops in Diagon Alley last year. I had completely forgotten about it until I turned my trunk upside down on the bed. It's ok, isn't it?" Harry lied. He did not want to tell anyone that this ring was the receiving device for all of Lucius Malfoy's spying devices. Harry had charmed it so that only he could here the sounds coming from the device. The fact that the device could take on any shape he wanted had enabled him to wear it like a ring. With relief Harry noticed that both Remus and Tonks were satisfied with his explanation.

"Hey, you are a great cook." Remus said when they started their dinner. Tonks just nodded her head since her mouth was full.

"I have been cooking for a long time now. I can make some good stuff." Harry replied.

"How long?" Tonks queried.

"Well, let's see…for the past 10 years, though initially I wasn't able to cook these many dishes." Harry said with a laugh but Tonks could say that there was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Last 10 years. Then he must have been doing this stuff since he was a 5 year old" Tonks thought "My god, I never knew about all these things at that time. Those muggles must have been really horrible to him. Did he ever get to know what childhood meant?" Tonks was still lost in her thoughts when Remus asked "They made you do this work since you were 5?" Apparently Remus was thinking along the same lines. His voice had a touch of anger and sorrow in it though he was trying his best to control it.

"Forget it. Everyone has skeletons in their cupboards." Harry replied, not meeting anyone's eye and not wanting to discuss this topic. "Dobby" The elf again popped right next to him. "Please have a seat with us and tell me how the food is like." Both Tonks and Remus looked with amazement at the scene. A wizard asking an elf to have dinner at the same table added to the fact that the dinner was made by the wizard – this was something which was unheard of. Slowly Dobby took a vacant seat and gulped down his first bite. "HARRY POTTER IS A GREAT WIZARD AND A WONDERFUL COOK" Dobby shouted at once. Everyone started laughing at his comment.

After dinner, Harry and his guests chatted for some more time. He gave both of them a mobile phone (_what the hell is this, Tonks asked_) and showed them how to use it. He had enchanted them so that all they had to do was press the _call_ button and say Harry's full name to reach him. The same rule was followed if either Remus or Tonks wanted to contact each other. Finally, it was time to go.

"I liked it here today. It was really great." Tonks said trying to get over the awkwardness of having to say goodbye to Harry. Both Remus and Harry looked as if they didn't want to leave each other's company.

"Yeah. It was great having you guys here. But please don't let anyone know, OK?" Both his guests nodded their heads indicating an 'OK'. "Now that you know where it is, you can come here anytime you want AND don't forget my offer of asking you to stay here." At this, both Tonks and Remus gave a short laugh and said they will keep it in their mind. As they apparated back to the HQ. both were thinking of Harry. Though he seemed a bit different now, he was the same old Harry to both. But now at least, he was happy where he was.

[][][][]

Harry had spent almost 35 days in the trunk though only 3 and a half days had passed in reality since he had Remus and Tonks as his guests. The next day was his birthday – his 16'th one. He knew that he would have lots of presents to open tomorrow but was feeling very sad about it. After all, he was already wearing his 16'th birthday gift which his godfather wanted him to have (_and which fitted perfectly now_). How much he would have liked to receive this present directly from him but no one could undo what had already happened. But he felt good about one thing – nowadays, he was not wasting his life thinking about Sirius but was preparing himself for the upcoming war and revenge. With thoughts of Sirius in his mind, he started to meditate in his trunk. He had almost dedicated the past few days to everything but meditating. He now wanted to meditate for a long time because that was the only way he was able to overcome his grief of Sirius's loss. He turned on his CD player and started to meditate in the soothing music. He meditated on the events which had taken place in the past month in his trunk as well as on his feelings about Sirius.

[][][][]__

Harry's daily routine in the trunk had almost changed his life nowadays. Nowadays, he slept for only 4 hours daily. He would get up at 5:00 in the morning and meditate for about 10 minutes. These days, he was more concerned about his dueling abilities than anything else. He would then proceed to the 5'th compartment and start training. A short workout was a must on his daily schedule now. He sometimes felt sorry for buying all the gym equipment from the muggle store because whatever he needed was provided by the room in the 5'th compartment (_he didn't want to waste any money because he knew the real worth of it_). After his workout, the real action began. Over the past month in the trunk, he had learnt how to throw a knife properly, and without cutting himself, though he was still unable to hit the bull's eye. He knew that he would get there in due course of time. He had also improved at dueling. Though he knew a lot of spells, he couldn't use all the spells in dueling with his double. Later, during one of meditation session, he had gone through his memory of his duels and was able to pin-point his problem. He understood that he had to cast spells almost without thinking. It was just like what happened in football – a player passed the ball to another player in a split second. It seemed that they always knew where to pass the ball. Harry realized that he had to do it like that. He knew that something like that could only be done through hours of rigorous training (_his double had no problem in casting all the spells because, in a sense, the room controlled him_). He had worked very hard on his spell casting speed and was now able to quickly cast many spells. It now seemed that his subconscious mind would help him decide which spell was the best one to use in a situation. Also, now he was able to cast powerful spells by just mutter them under his breath. In the later part of the month, he had dueled against 4 other Harry's and had been beaten only after an half-hour fight. He had been very happy with the result – at least, he would have a fair chance to survive long enough against death-eaters when he was outnumbered for others to come to his help. Slowly but surely, his spell casting speed increased. Added to his speed and agility, he was quite good now. He felt sure that he would be able to beat most of the death-eaters in a one-to-one fight but doubted if they ever worked alone. After all, if they had been really courageous they would never have served Voldemort.

The latter part of his days in the trunk had been spent working on his glove. It had taken him a week to visualize in his mind that he was not in the place where he was (_which was the basic principle in using the glove to make a person invisible_). After a week of intense practice and meditation, he had finally been able to turn himself invisible but for shorter periods of time. It seemed that to keep himself invisible, he had to concentrate continuously on _being_ invisible. This had been hard thing to do. After all, how was one to concentrate on a being invisible when they were in a duel? But slowly, he was able to increase the time span of this. All he knew was that he had to practice more.

In the meanwhile, he always worked for 2-3 hours a day on making a portkey. Finally on the 10'th day in his trunk, he had been able to make a portkey which was able to cover a small distance. He asked the room to provide the required distance and was able to test it out. He had then started to work on advanced portkeys which would enable travel over long distances. Slowly, as his birthday was coming along, he had made a considerable progress on them and his success rate in making long-distance portkeys had increased. Nowadays, he always kept an assortment of his successfully made portkeys in one of his pant pockets.

The other thing on which Harry was working, though with little success, was conjuring up objects. Finally, he decided to take the help of Remus in doing this though he wasn't able to find the time because of his practice with his glove.

He had also mastered the different forms of apparation and was really happy when he had been able to apparate based on a location's co-ordinates (_the room had simulated the simulated environment_). He had also read many books which he had brought over from the vaults. Also, nowadays, he spent around 20 minutes writing in his journal. All in all, Harry remained busy.

[][][][]

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" Dobby screamed into Harry's ears. Harry was still in his trunk and sat up groggily. He looked up to see Dobby jumping around and singing "Happy Birthday to Harry Potter, Harry Potter the Great Wizard…". Harry did not care to listen to the rest of the song which was obviously a list of praises which Dobby was singing in a tune of his own. Harry climbed out of the trunk and saw that it was 8:00 in the morning. He then noticed a large amount of chirping sounds coming from the drawing room. When he entered, he saw a heap of presents lying on the table and a disgruntled Hedwig looking at Pigwidgeon, who was flying round the room in excitement. According to Hedwig, Pig (_as Ron called her_) gave a bad name to owls.

One by one, Harry opened all his presents. They were almost the same as last year except for the book which Hermione had sent him "_The Ancient Book Of Patronuses_". This time, he had also received a gift coupon from Wesaleys Wizarding Wheezes worth 50 galleons (_business must be good_). After going through all the gifts, Harry took a quick shower and got dressed in his regular dress (_the dragon hide stuff with a casual pant and tee-shirt covering them)_.

"Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter?"

"Stop acting innocently. Where are your presents?" On hearing this Dobby seemed upset. "Dobby is wanting to surprise Harry Potter".

"Ok. I will close my eyes and you can then surprise me, right?" this thought cheered up Dobby who popped away to get Harry's present.

"Ok. Harry Potter can open his eyes now." Harry opened his eyes to one of the most shocking sights in the world. Dobby had got his socks, all right, but this time he had stitched all the socks together to make a bed sheet. Harry seemed shocked at seeing the zigzag patterns all over which made no sense at all. Dobby dubbed his shocked look as an appreciating look for which Harry was thankful.

"Thank you Dobby. You really did a great job" Harry was touched by the amount of work the elf had put in to make his present. He decided that he was going to use it – if only to make Dobby happy. Dobby was very happy to see that Harry liked his present and started to pop all over the place. Harry was laughing at Dobby's actions when suddenly, the door opened. Instinctively, Harry flicked his arm and had his wand pointed towards two shocked looking people with gifts in their hands.

"That WAS quick" Tonks was the first to say. Both had been impressed by the speed at which Harry had the wand pointed at them. "Where do you keep the wand Har?"

Harry lowered his wand and put it back in the hostler slowly so that Tonks and Remus could see it.

"Good. Moody will be very pleased with you." Remus said, pleased with what he saw. "Happy Birthday Harry" he added.

"Happy Birthday scarhead" Tonks said to an angry looking Harry. "Oh, don't worry, this is just one of the paybacks. It's just starting dear." Tonks explained before Harry could say anything. Harry just smiled at Tonks. She had changed her hair color to emerald green today along with her eye color.

"You like it?" Tonks asked noticing that Harry was looking at her hair.

"Nope. You are more the pink sort. Green actually makes you look more intelligent than you really are." Harry said as Remus laughed out loud at this comment.

"Ok buddy. You will pay for this also." Tonks said in mock anger.

Harry then opened the presents of Remus and Tonks. Tonks had given him a book titled "_10,001 Ways To Use Your Abilities"_ which baffled Harry. On opening it he saw that the book contained instructions on how to use one's metamorphmagus abilities. Tonks winked at him and said "You will find all kinds of ideas in there." Harry just smiled back. He had a vague idea about what Tonks meant by '_all kinds of ideas_'. Remus, on the other hand, gave him a handwritten book titled "Hogwarts: A History" whose cover looked similar to its namesake. Harry looked up in astonishment as Remus explained "We always got caught for not doing anything or playing pranks. So, your father and Sirius came up with the idea of a book which looked like "Hogwarts: A History". Actually, this contains information of all the people who have been involved with Hogwarts as a teacher or student. We had to go through a lot of trouble to make it. It also contains another copy of the map of Hogwarts. Make good use of it" Remus said. Harry nodded in response.

After checking the presents, they all started to chat amongst themselves getting the latest news from either side. After a while all of them fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. All of them were thinking about Sirius. They all missed him. Tonks's mother was Sirius's cousin. She had spent a great deal of her childhood playing with Sirius. Sirius had been more like her big brother than her uncle. She would play all kinds of pranks on him, most of which usually backfired because Sirius was a bigger prankster. Remus too missed his friend very much. Technically, he had no one else left whom he could call a friend or family although he was the unofficial godfather of Harry now. Remus was thinking about the times they had spent in Hogwarts. Harry, on the other hand, was musing on the fact on 'what could have been different if Sirius was alive' when Dobby popped beside him.

"Lunch time. Harry Potter must not forget to eat properly" Dobby said in an almost Molly Weasley kind of tone. Both Remus and Tonks were astonished for the second time seeing the relation between Harry and Dobby, though they said nothing about it.

"I miss him" At last Harry said these words, when they were having their lunch. Remus and Tonks said nothing. Both of them agreed with his words, there was no doubt about that. The rest of the lunch session passed in silence. After lunch, they all took up chairs near the fireplace.

"Oh Harry…I forgot these…" Remus held up 2 envelopes. "O.W.L. Result time" Tonks chipped in happily. "Lets see what our birthday boy has got". Harry gave a feeble smile and opened the first letter.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Please find your results of the Ordinary Wizarding Level tests taken by you this summer. The grading system had to be modified because of some unprecedented incidents. The grading system is as mentioned below:_

_O = Outstanding (Equivalent to 2 OWLs)_

_E = Exceeds Expectations (Equivalent to 1 OWL)_

_A = Acceptable (Equivalent to 1 OWL)_

_P = Poor (Equivalent to failure)_

_T = Terrible (Equivalent to failure)_

_If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact the Department of Evaluation of Magical Examination._

_Best Regards,_

_Marcie Montomegry_

_Head of Department of Evaluation of Magical Examination_

_O.W.L. scores of Harry James Potter___

_Astronomy - A_

_Care of Magical Creatures - O_

_Charms - O_

_Defense Against Dark Arts – O_

_Divination - P_

_Herbology - A_

_History - T_

_Potions - E_

_Transfiguration – E_

_Note: A score of O is worth 3 O.W.L's._

_Total – 11 OWL's_

"WOW. 11 OWL's. You did great Har." Tonks had been reading the letter along with Harry and was really happy to see the results. But Harry was frowning and looked quite sad "I got on an _E_ in Potions. Snape doesn't take anyone having a grade other than _O_. There goes my dream of being an auror" Harry said in a depressed voice. His final statement seemed to affect the other two people present there. "Lets see what bad news the second letter has." Harry said matter-of-factly.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I congratulate you on your OWL scores. I take the privilege to offer you the following courses for pursuing your N.E.W.T's:_

_Astronomy_

_Care of Magical Creatures_

_Charms_

_Defense Against Dark Arts_

_Potions_

_Transfiguration_

_You may take only 5 out of the above mentioned 6 subjects. Also, if you wish, you can take up 'Magical Healing' as an additional subject for one year which is a must for students willing to pursue Auror careers._

_On a personal note Harry, I was very happy to see your results as it seems you are quite stubborn about becoming an auror. I hope you become one of the best._

_I am also pleased to inform you that your lifetime Quidditch ban has been nullified and that your broomstick is now in my possession. Please reclaim it when you come back to school. I also offer you the position of the Captain of the Gryffindor House Quidditch Team. I hope you will help me keep the Quidditch cup in my office._

_Best regards,_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

"Oh my god!!! You are the Gryffindor quidditch captain. Hey caps, do I get the permission to visit Gryffindor's matches?" Tonks was almost pleading with Harry who just smiled at her.

"Tell me one thing, is Snape dead?" Harry asked both Tonks and Remus. This question stopped Tonks histrionics.

"No, though I daily wish I would wake up and hear the good news. But why do you ask?" Tonks queried back.

"I have been offered Potions. How can this be true? Snape won't take me into his class." Harry said to both of them. They both gave him unknowing looks.

"You should ask Minerva or Albus" Remus said after a moment of thought. This seemed the best option to all of them and Harry & Tonks nodded their heads. Slowly, the talks shifted from Harry's OWL results to Quidditch. Remus told Tonks (_once again_) what a great flyer Harry is. Everyone was chatting when Dobby announced "Dinner"

After a delicious dinner, they all went back to their seats by the fire which was now blazing away. Tonks and Remus were to leave after one more hour, much to Tonks regret. They talked for a little while after which all of them fell silent again, each lost in their own thoughts. After a while Tonks looked up to see that Harry had a faraway look in his eyes. She saw a string of emotions in them but the thing which she saw most prominently was the grief, pain and the feeling of wanting to be loved. At that moment Tonks realized that the life lead by Harry, accompanied by his losses, had resulted in turning the life of a 16 year old into one where he existed just for the sake of existence. He didn't have anyone, other than Remus, who really loved him – and the fact which pained Tonks even more was that Harry was very much aware of it. She just couldn't take her eyes off those emerald green eyes – those beautiful eyes which seemed to hold the whole world in them. Remus followed her gaze and saw what Tonks was seeing. It seemed as though the whole of Harry's life was passing before them as they saw each emotion in his eyes come and then go with every passing thought. Remus was also unable to take his eyes off Harry as he understood Harry's pain. To Tonks, all this was new. She had never known _exactly_ what kind of life Harry had led but now she realized that it was one which she didn't want even her enemies to have (_except for the death-eaters maybe_). The pain in his eyes became almost unbearable for her when a single silent tear slid down his face. She now understood a little bit of how life felt being Harry Potter.

All of a sudden, a strange expression came over Harry. Tonks, who was still staring at his eyes, saw the expression in them turn to one of fierce determination. His eyes became steely and his face hardened. He wiped out the tears from his cheeks with the back of his right hand and turned to look at two pairs of staring eyes. He saw that they had seen everything which he had felt but he didn't regret it. After all, he liked them both very much and was thankful that they had let him stay as he was (_he didn't want another molly-cuddling to make him feel loved_). But this was not the time for expressing his thanks. With a cold and commanding voice, which stunned both Remus and Tonks, Harry told them what they had feared most for the past months but had never thought would happen so soon, and now of all times.

"Remus, stay here with me. Tonks, go and contact the other Order members – Azkaban will be attacked within 10 minutes time from now."

[][][][]

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 5'th chapter. If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. Oh…Thanks to everyone who read this.

Calculation for the time Harry spends in the trunk:

1 hour outside = 12 hours in trunk

So, 20 hours outside = 240 hours in trunk

Effectively, if Harry spends 4 hours outside trunk daily (for other activities) then

24 Hours outside = 240 hours in trunk

i.e. **1 day outside = 10 days in trunk**.

GiGiFanFic - Thanks for your review. If you think I have read _LOTS_ of fanfics, then please give me some credit for that. How many people work 12 hours in an office, then spend 4 hours freelancing, 2 hours writing a fic and THEN have the time and energy to read other peoples fics? Anyway, I have read 3 fics, all of which are still unfinished. Some of the things which I have written are present in all three of them – like the Gringotts wallet & Harry running away and staying someplace else. I included them because I really like the idea. I would be more than happy to acknowledge the ORIGINAL author of these ideas, if you can point out that person to me. As for Harry being a metamorphmagus, it's quite obvious from JKR's writings, isn't it? Maybe if I made Harry an animagus, it would be stealing too, huh? BTW, I have not received a single mail from any of the other fic authors about me _stealing_ their ideas. As for my own ideas, all I can say is that most of it is my own apart from the common things I mentioned above. If you don't like what I write then I am sorry for losing you as a reader. And if you want to notify other writers about me _copying_ their ideas, then please feel free to do so. I would really like to see how many of the authors contact me and what their comments are.

skeeter007 – Thanks for your recommendation of the English-to-Latin site. If you go back to chapter 4, you will see that I have changed the spells for the pants and jackets. Thanks again.

And all you other guys – Thanks for your reviews. Please know that they are very much appreciated.

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	6. Prisoners of Azkaban

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 6 – Prisoners of Azkaban**

With a cold and commanding voice, which stunned both Remus and Tonks, Harry told them what they had feared most for the past months but had never thought would happen so soon, and now of all times.

"Remus, stay here with me. Tonks, go and contact the other Order members – Azkaban will be attacked within 10 minutes time from now."

[][][][]

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Tonks shot up from her seat.

"I meant what I just said. Now go – we don't have time" Harry told her as calmly as he could.

"Look Harry – if this is a joke then it is a bad one" Remus interjected in between.

"Why the hell should I joke about such a thing Remus? Do you think I am mad? Azkaban will be attacked in 10 minutes, believe me."

"Are you sure Harry? I mean, you were just sitting there and then came up with this as if it's the most obvious thing." She said and continued "I just can't go to the headquartes and say that 'Harry asked me to tell you about an attack on Azkaban'." Apparently Tonks didn't believe what Harry had just said. "Plus we don't have Dumbledore here."

"WHAT??" this time the shout came from Harry. "Where is he?"

"He has gone to the International Conference of Wizards this morning. It was something very urgent – at least that's what he said" Remus replied, unsure of what to do now. He looked uncertainly at Harry and Tonks. An uneasy silence settled for some seconds.

Harry finally broke the silence. "TONKS…we have 9 more minutes. The death-eaters are gathering. If you don't believe me then go and find that slimy, greasy git. Ask him if he has been summoned or not." Harry was getting impatient now. "OR you can just sit there doing nothing. Just don't blame me later on." Harry turned away and marched up to his room. Seeing no other option left Tonks went out and apparated away.

In the meantime Harry had started to gather his required things. He revealed all the pockets in his pants. He then strapped one of Sirius's pistol holster onto his left arm (_Harry had enchanted it to fit anywhere on his body_). He loaded one of the guns using gold-colored bullet cartridges while the other had normal bullets. He put the pistol with the golden bullets in one of the empty pockets on the left hand side of his pant and was in the process of fitting the other pistol in the holster when Remus came in. One look at Harry gave Remus a clear idea of what Harry was up to.

"Harry, you sure about this? I mean, you really want to come with me?"

Harry felt grateful to Remus. At least his new godfather was treating him as an adult and not telling him off like a kid. He turned around to face Remus. His face showed nervousness as he opened his mouth.

"Remus, I want you to do something. I am going to Azkaban and you are going to stay here. When…"

"WHAT? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Remus interjected, unable to believe what he had just heard.

He had got the expected reaction from Remus. This was going to be a bit difficult. "NO, I am not out of my mind. Look Remus, I have a plan. You know that you can't stop me – no one can, not today." Remus just stared blankly at Harry. He knew that Harry had made up his mind and there was no chance of his stopping him unless he used the full body-bind spell. "But you can help me out with my plan."

"What plan? Look Harry, I am not going to let you go there alone. I believe you that Azkaban will be attacked but I can't let you be alone." Remus's voice was defiant. "I am not planning to help you in a plan to get yourself killed."

"But I need you here. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT." Harry was beginning to getting annoyed. As calmly as he could, he continued "Would you have questioned Dumbledore if he had asked you to wait someplace?" Harry knew Remus wouldn't be able to give a fitting answer to this.

"I wouldn't. But you are no Dumbledore and I can't let you take such a risk. You know it as much as I do."

Harry looked at his watch – 6 minutes left.

"OK. OK. Calm down." It was more like Harry was trying to calm himself rather than Remus. He took a deep breath and started explaining "Look, there will be Order members there and if I am not mistaken, Tonks will inform the ministry aurors. So you see, you have nothing to be worried about." Harry was getting desperate but tried not to show it.

"Harry…" Remus said, fear apparent in his voice "…you know that they may never arrive in time. They could…"

"Remus!!! Hold on…HOLD ON. Let me explain." Harry checked his watch again – 5 minutes left. He went through his plan as quickly as possible. It was a good 3 minutes before he could finally persuade Remus to play along (_phew_).

2 minutes left.

"Harry, you have to be very careful – you know that, don't you?" it was the 12'th time Remus had said this in the past 3 minutes. If this went on for some more time then Harry was sure it would be some kind of a record. But he understood that Remus just wanted him to be safe. He could also guess what tension Remus was going through now.

"I know. But you know that you have to be careful too, right?" Remus nodded grimly in reply. "Ok then, how am I to get there?" Harry asked both himself and Remus. For the first time, both of them realized that this was the most basic question. "I can apparate based on co-ordinates" Harry said hopefully though he still was not confident he would be able to do it. Remus looked up at this – and smiled. He now understood that there were a lot of things which Harry had practiced over the summer though he failed to understand how he got so much time.

"Sorry Harry." Remus looked dejected "I don't know where Azkaban is"

1 minute left.

"Think Harry think" Harry was saying to himself. After a few seconds, Harry's face brightened "I HAVE A MAP IN THE LIBRARY. They must have it there."

"We can try it but I don't think it will be of any help." One part of Remus was urging him on to look at the map because he knew that it would be a good way to kill time. After all, Azkaban was magically hidden from the whole world. Looking at the map would mean they would lose time – during which, Remus hoped, the fight would be over. But another part of Remus pushed ahead to help Harry. He didn't want to disappoint Harry. He knew that Harry would blame him later on. His better half took over "Azkaban is magically hidden, Harry. You won't be able to find it on any map."

20 seconds left.

Harry was pacing around. He had almost broken into a sweat. He knew that a few of the death-eaters had arrived at Azkaban to check if the coast was clear or not. Remus, on the other hand was constantly glancing at Harry. He was still thinking whether letting him go was a good thing or not. He didn't want to lose the last member of his family.

10 seconds left.

"GOT IT." Harry screamed out so loudly that Remus had to cover his ears. aHaH

"DOBBY".

"Yes Harry Potter?" Dobby arrived promptly.

"Dobby – Remus is going to stun me and then you will take me to Azkaban, ok?" Dobby started trembling at the name of Azkaban. That was the place where all bad, dark wizards went along with those filthy creatures. Not waiting for a answer, Harry turned to Remus. Remus and Dobby exchanged a quick glance and knew that there was no arguing with Harry now. Remus raised his wand (_2 seconds left_) and said "STUPEFY"

[][][][]

Tonks had apparated to as near to the HQ. as possible. She reached the place at a run and stumbled in.

"SEVERUS SNAPE" the sound shook the whole house but no answer came. Tonight a meeting had been scheduled to discuss some of the things which Dumbledore had asked the Order to take care of while he was gone. Fortunately, some of the Order members had arrived early. Molly Weasley came out and saw Tonks running around and shouting Snape's name.

7 minutes left.

"He's not here" Mrs. Weasley said with slight contempt in her voice. She had not forgotten the happenings of the previous meeting.

"Where is he? Where is he?" Tonks had grabbed hold of her hands. The look on Tonks face made Mrs. Weasley forget her anger "He…" She looked around to see that Ron, Ginny and the twins were looking at her expectantly. Tonks followed her gaze and understood.

"Molly, forget them. This is much bigger. Tell me where Snape is. NOW" she was speaking as fast as she could while keeping her words clear. She looked at her watch – 6 minutes left according to Harry.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Mr. Weasley who nodded his approval. "He has been summoned" she said at last. Tonks gave a squeak an stumbled back – both her hands flying to cover her face. Her worst fears had been confirmed – Harry had been right. She slowly looked around to see that there were around 10 Order members present. Getting a grip on herself, she decided on her course of action. "OK EVERYBODY – LISTEN TO ME" she shouted to everyone even though there was no need for it. Everybody had been following her antics for some time now. "WHERE IS MCGONAGALL & KINGSLEY?"

"We are both here Miss. Tonks" McGonagall said. Kingsley Shacklebolt was by her side. Apparently, they both had arrived just as Tonks was making her query.

5 minutes left.

In a commanding voice Tonks started handing out orders "Kingsley – contact Mad-Eye and all the other aurors you can. Apparate to Azkaban as soon as possible. Professor McGonagall – summon as many Order members as you can. We have to go to Azkaban at once."

"May I ask why Miss. Tonks?" Professor McGonagall asked. Somewhere deep down, she knew the answer but was hoping against hope.

4 minutes left.

"Azkaban will be attacked in 4 minutes time." Tonks spoke as she glanced at her watch. There was pin-drop silence in the room now. Even the twins had stopped whatever they were doing. Ron was gaping at Tonks while Hagrid just looked bewildered. Dung looked like he had just tasted his nick-namesake – dung. Tonks realized she had to do something right NOW. "HELLO!!! Didn't you hear what I said? Kingsley, GO NOW." The auror recovered and ran out.

"How do you know Nymphadora?" McGonagall was not pleased at hearing this news though, for once, Tonks didn't get angry at been called by her first name. She knew that now was not the time for it.

3 minutes left.

"Later, Professor, Later. Just – get – everybody – over – to – Azkaban - now." McGonagall nodded her head and started barking orders. Many firecalls had been made within a minute's time. The room started to fill in with members who were rushing in, still thinking that this was some kind of joke. Dumbledore had been unreachable. Seeing no hope, an owl was sent to Dumbledore with the writing _Azkaban under attack_. With a minute left, everybody (except for the junior's) left HQ's to go to the nearest place from where apparation was possible. With 20 seconds left, there was a rush of pop's near 1 Grimmauld place. Everyone had left with all of them muttering the same words – GOD HELP US.

[][][][]

"Thanks Dobby. Now get back and help Remus." Dobby gave a grim nod and left. Harry looked around at the island which was named Azkaban. Dobby had brought him to just outside the apparation wards and enervated him. It was an easy thing for house-elves to pop to any place they wanted. Dobby could even pop inside Azkaban if needed but there was no way possible for him to bring Harry with him – the anti-apparation wards around Azkaban were one of the strongest around the world. There was no way a house-elf could take a wizard in or out of Azkaban.

Harry walked inside the magical protections, noticing that the guard positions were surprisingly vacant, and looked around. What he saw left him awestruck. Azkaban was one of the biggest castles he had ever seen. It seemed to cover the entire horizon behind it. It looked to be black in color and was about 80 storeys high. It had two huge towers in the front and Harry assumed that there were similar towers at the back too. The middle portion was a huge stretch of corridors and, what looked to Harry as, cells. The towers were positioned in such a way that anyone on a tower would be able to cover all the cells. Obviously, the towers were for guards. Harry could compare this to only one thing he had seen before on a book of Dudley's – the tower of Babel. But surprisingly (again), the whole place seemed deserted.

He was brought back to reality by the vibration around his chest. The wizard radar around Harry's neck had started vibrating very hard. The vibration was the strongest he had ever felt. It was as if someone was hammering at his chest for 10 seconds. He took it out and assumed that there were around 60 death-eaters locked in the prisons and around innumerable outside. Harry looked at the way each death-eaters position was now overlapping another one's. Looking around, he found the names of the Order members and some ministry aurors. "Thank god they have arrived" Harry thought. Suddenly, shouts could be heard all over the castle. Harry started running towards the entrance when he saw light flashes above. The fight at Azkaban had begun.

He ran into what seemed like the entrance, only to find that it led to the dungeons. After running around for about 30 seconds, he found a staircase going upwards. All of a sudden, he felt a slight tingle in his body. Unable to understand what it was, he continued running until he came to the 2'nd floor. Two wizards were fighting there when one of them got hit by a green light. Harry was just raising his wand when the hooded wizard laughed and vanished. He blinked for a few seconds and understood – the tingle which he had felt was because of the destruction of the anti-apparation wards of Azkaban. Well, he was now going to use it to his advantage. Harry apparated to the third floor. Finding nothing there, he apparated to the fourth floor. Two wizards, one of whom was dressed in black robes and was hooded, were fighting each other. They had not noticed Harry. Harry saw the other wizard getting stunned by the death-eater. The death-eater was about to apparate away when he noticed Harry. Both raised their wands and a duel started.

"_Stupefy_" Harry muttered under his breath. The power of the spell was not diminished this time, not after a month of practice.

"_Protego_"

Harry apparated away as his own spell came rebounding towards him. He appeared right behind the death-eater and muttered "_Stupefy_" for the second time. After stunning the death-eater, Harry took out the pistol (which held the golden bullets) from his pant pocket and fired a shot. He apparated away before the bullet had even pierced the left leg of his now-stunned opponent.

[][][][]

Remus had been waiting for a few minutes now. Dobby was beside him. Both were dead worried about Harry. But they had to wait – it was what Harry wanted them to do. After about 2 minutes since Harry had left, a 'thud' announced the arrival of the first death-eater. Both Remus and Dobby used their own type of magic to bind the death-eater. They then leviated the wizard to a corner of the room – which had been charmed to make it impossible to apparate. Both Remus and Dobby started their wait all over again. At least, Harry's plan had been put to action.

[][][][]

Harry found nothing else for another couple of floors. All the cells seemed empty too. After apparating to the 10'th floor he heard screams & shouts from above. He ran to the stairs to see flashes of light. Slowly but steadily he climbed to the 11'th floor – gun in the left hand and his wand in his right hand. From the amount of noise around, he knew that the 11'th and the 12'th floor were filled with people fighting. Later on, he understood that he had come to the location of the high-security prisons, where most of the death-eaters were being kept. As he came up, he found himself in the war-zone.

[][][][]

All the Order members had apparated to just outside Azkaban. Some of the ministry aurors had accompanied Mad-Eye though many could not be contacted. According to what Tonks had said, the attack on Azkaban was supposed to begin in seconds. Mad-Eye took them to a secret entrance from where they were teleported to the 11'th floor. The 11'th and 12'th floor were the high-security prisons of Azkaban and if someone was going to attack Azkaban, they had to come here. After getting on the 11'th floor, McGonagall asked some of the members to go to the 12'th floor. Everyone waited as Tonks counted down to 0. Everyone looked around but found nobody. There were some collective sighs across the corridor. Hagrid was about to say something when Mad-Eye raised his hand. The first 'crack' sound announced the entry of a death-eater using a portkey. Everyone wondered how the anti-portkey barrier had been broken but knew that this was not the time when they would get their answers. All of a sudden, the air was filled with cracks and the Order and aurors started firing spells at random. The battle at Azkaban had begun.

About 30 seconds after the first 'crack', everyone felt the anti-apparation wards go down. All of them continued fighting and cursing Dumbledore inwardly for not being there.

McGonagall was dueling a hulk of a wizard who seemed to be moving around at ease before Moody stunned him. Tonks stunned 3 death-eaters and turned around to start her 4'th duel. Moody was trying to be at all places at once. It certainly wasn't helping him that his magical eye could see everyone who was in danger. He watched as Mundungus get stunned. A few of the Order members, who were from other countries, were also struck to the ground. More Order members and aurors were arriving to help them but they were horribly outnumbered. No one had guessed that Voldemort would have recruited so many death-eaters in such a small span of time. More and more death-eaters were been stunned but a large number of Order members had been lost too. Some had even been killed in this short span of time. Curses were flying everywhere mingled with one or two streaks of green light. Moody had just stunned another death-eater when his magical eye spotted something which sent shivers down his spine. A jet of green light was headed towards Minerva McGonagall.

[][][][]

Tonks was fighting her fourth duel. She had stunned 3 death-eaters easily but this fourth one was a very difficult opponent. He had sent off a series of curses towards Tonks who had barely avoided them. Tonks then sent off four stunners in quick succession before apparating away from her opponent. The increased distance seemed to help her. She saw the death-eater send a jet of black light towards her and only barely managed to stay out of its path. The light hit the wall behind her causing portions of the wall to melt away. Tonks fired off advanced curses she had learnt in her auror classes. She failed to hit him with any of them. The death-eater then sent the killing curse towards her. She quickly apparated to the back of the death-eater and stunned him. Feeling relieved, she turned around – only to find a death-eater pointing his wand at her and muttering a curse. 'Shit' – she thought as she knew she didn't have any time to either apparate or put up a shield. But before she could think of anything else the death-eater stiffened and fell to the floor – leaving her facing Kingsley. He had seen her plight and stunned the death-eater.

"Thanks King. I owe you one." She smiled. But then she saw the smile on Kingsley face vanish, the expression replaced with one of true horror. She followed his gaze and was shocked. A ray of green light was heading towards Minerva McGonagall.

[][][][]

Harry had just reached the 11'th floor when a body came flying towards him. He ducked just in time to see a stunned death-eater hit the wall behind him. He looked around to see that many people were down on the floor and, thankfully, no one had noticed his late entrance. The corridor of the 11'th floor was huge. It seemed to be the width of a football field and people were jumping all over the place, dueling. He stunned 2 death-eaters in quick succession and fired two bullets at them. He knew that sending a stunned death-eater was better than sending one who would fire a curse as soon as they landed at his home. At least, Remus and Dobby would have less to handle. He was fighting another death-eater when he saw a jet of green-light out of the corner of his eyes. He quickly flattened himself against the floor. The killing curse grazed his back and hit the death-eater who was fighting him. Harry quickly got up and turned at an angle of 45 degrees – all in one fluid motion. He was just in time to see a spell coming towards him. Almost subconsciously, he setup a shield with his glove, knowing fully well that the spell wasn't one of the unforgivables. The shield absorbed the spell and Harry felt as if his power had gone up a notch. He sent a strong stunning spell towards his opponent (_he was still unable to preserver the power which he got from absorbing a curse on the shield_). Almost simultaneously, he fired a round from his gun. His opponent never got the chance to feel the pain inflicted by the bullet or the pull behind his navel as the stunning spell hit him milliseconds before the bullet hit.

Harry turned and looked around. He saw Tonks dueling with someone, while Hagrid seemed to be throwing one of the death-eaters over the balcony of the 11'th floor. Moody was fighting another death-eater while McGonagall was dueling for her 8'th time. He saw McGonagall just in time to see her stun her opponent and take on another death-eater. She seemed to be gaining the upper hand when another death-eater, who had just killed a Order member, raised his (or her) wand. Harry saw the death-eater lip the alphabets "_Ava_…" when his instincts took over. He knew he had to do something and something quick. Without even thinking, he apparated to inches to the left of McGonagall where, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a jet of green light speeding towards them.

[][][][]

Moody was oblivious to all that was happening around. He knew it was a matter of a few milliseconds before the inevitable happened – Minerva would be dead. Just as he had given up all hope (_he was praying with all his might that McGonagall would unknowingly move out of the way_) he saw a average sized wizard apparate just inches from her. He saw the wizard throw himself at McGonagall. Both the wizard and McGonagall rolled on the floor as the green light hit McGonagall's opponent. The wizard turned around on the floor and sent a string of curses towards the death-eater. McGonagall was too stunned to get up. The wizard and the death-eater were engaged in a very fast and furious duel. Moody took this opportunity to apparate beside McGonagall and helped her up.

"What happened?" McGonagall's voice was unstable.

"That guy just saved you." Moody said, pointing towards the wizard who was fighting the death-eater. "That death-eater had sent the killing curse at you when he apparated to your left and threw you down."

"Who is he? I don't think he is in the Order. He also doesn't seem to be wearing auror clothes." McGonagall had recovered by now. She was now able to think properly again after learning how close she had been to death.

"Dunno" Moody said as he started fighting another death-eater. McGonagall took on another one who had just stunned a auror. As Moody stunned another death-eater, he was thinking "How the hell did Potter get here?"

[][][][]

Harry was very grateful when he saw (or rather felt) the green light passing over them. He had somehow managed to save Hogwarts the trouble of having to recruit a new Headmistress. He turned around and shot some spells so as to give him time to get up. By the time the death-eater had avoided his third spell, Harry was up on his feet. There was now a strange feeling in his chest. He knew he could do something. He knew that he could now save some people rather than be the reason they got killed. He had to survive and protect others. He had to live up to the expectations of his parents – and Sirius. He may not like being the Boy-Who-Lived but he would fulfill his responsibility. He knew that it was the way his parents would like it – it was the reason Sirius had come to save him. Responsibility. All of a sudden this new force seemed to be driving him – a force which constantly reminded him of his responsibility and which understood the fact that people may die in this war. But this force also made him make sure that he would minimize the losses of this war.

"_Impedimenta_" Harry muttered under his breath. No sooner was the curse on it's way to it's target that he apparated away. His opponent moved out of the way of the curse and saw Harry reappear about 20 feet from where he previously had been.

"_Illud Legio_" the man under the hood whispered a spell which caused the bones of a persons body break into innumerable pieces. He saw his target apparate away again.

"_Ferveo Comburo_" Harry said when he reappeared behind the death-eater. With satisfaction, he saw the spell hit the left arm of his target where there would now be painful burns.

The death-eater had become very angry. He was one of the best duelers and was hardly ever beaten. Even the Dark Lord had said that he was his finest servant along with Bellatrix. How – could – a – simple – wizard – hit – him – with – a – spell? He also wondered that how come this wizard was SO fast. He wasn't getting enough time to even aim properly. "_Reducto_" he muttered under his breath. With satisfaction he saw that the spell would hit his opponent. But his satisfaction turned into surprise when he saw his spell vanish into thin air, inches from it target. He was sure that he had not seen his opponent mutter a spell to setup a shield.

"_Stupefy_" The death-eater barely managed to get out of the way. The power behind the spell made him concerned for the first time since this duel had begun. This was not going to be a walkover by any means.

"_Visum Contorqueo_" Harry muttered the Sight-Twister curse. Harry knew that his stunner would not hit it's target and had sent this curse as fast as he could. The death-eater stopped it with a '_Protego_' shield. Harry rolled over his back and came up, resting on one of his knees while the other was folded.

"_Econtra Dextera_" the Reverse-Hand curse was sent on its way by Harry.

"_Protego_" "_Perverto Mundus_" two quick spells were cast by the death-eater. The second spell was supposed to make the targeted person see an illusion of the world being upside down.

Harry apparated away again to reappear closer to the death-eater. He fired off some curses and apparated away again. The death-eater apparated away and sent counter-curses towards Harry. Even though it was a duel for life and death, both seemed to be enjoying the competition.

[][][][]

Remus had been waiting for over 4 minutes after the first prisoner had come in. He had grown restless and was worried.

"Damn, why did Harry have to use a muggle gun for propelling portkeys? Otherwise I could have persuaded him to stay and gone myself. I have to learn how to use a gun myself. Who knows what's happening there? Why…" Remus's thoughts were interrupted by a 'thud'. He and Dobby quickly secured the new prisoner. They were surprised when two quick 'thuds' announced new arrivals. Remus seemed to lighten up a bit. He seemed proud and happy – proud that Harry had stunned four death-eaters and happy for the fact that Harry was still ok (hopefully).

[][][][]

Tonks and Kingsley were watching the duel between unknown wizard and the death-eater. They had seen how this wizard had save McGonagall's life. Neither knew that the wizard who was fighting so skillfully was Harry. They had never seen one who dodged curses so fast. It seemed that this guy had incredible reflexes. He also had an unconventional method of fighting – he apparated all over the place and shot curses at his opponent. Sometimes he would even reduce the distance between himself and his opponent, just to roll away at the last second.

"Who's that guy, King?"

"Dunno. But whoever it is – he knows what he is doing. That death-eater looks very good to me." Kingsley said.

"Yeah. That wizard – he isn't an auror, I am sure of that. He isn't in the Order, is he? There are so many foreigners that I have lost track of them." Tonks seemed a bit disappointed at not knowing the wizard personally. "But those two are REALLY good. I haven't seen a duel like this." Tonks was appreciating their skills. Her eyes flew wide when she saw the wizard apparate in mid-air near a pillar – his body bent at an angle of 45 degrees to the pillar – and shoot off a curse in mid-air. The wizard then kick-off the pillar to the other side of the corridor – just in time to avoid a hex sent by the death-eater. The death-eater seemed startled at this move but had managed to put up a strong shield to stop the curses from hitting him. She looked at Kingsley who seemed to be staring at the whole action.

"Wow…where did he learn THAT?" Kingsley said in appreciation. Tonks gave him a nudge and headed towards the 12'th floor. Kingsley followed her, glancing back for a last look at the action.

[][][][]

"_Neo Aranea_" the death-eater cast a spell which would trap the target in a web. Harry jumped out of the way and disapparated in mid-air. He reappeared just inches from the death-eater and kicked him in his chest with all his strength. The death-eater stumbled and rolled over while Harry landed on one of his legs smoothly. Before Harry could cast another spell, the death-eater had his wand ready.

"_Illud Concido_" the death-eater pointed his wand towards the ceiling above Harry's head. Harry heard the sound of the spell hitting the target and portions of the ceiling falling down. He did the only thing which came to his mind – he put up a shield with his glove.

"_Electriano Claustrum_" Harry said, moving his wand in a very complex action. A bolt of electricity shot out. His opponent moved aside but not before a part of his robes had been pierced by the effect of Harry's spell. He had been surprised at Harry's choice of spells and his movements. This guy in front of him seemed to be above the skills of a normal wizard.

"_Crucio_" the death-eater was now getting fed up with this upstart. He had not expected someone to last that long against him.

Harry jumped out of the way and threw a spell as he was landing "_Phoebus Coma_". At once, the death-eater was blinded by the light. Harry saw his chance and tried to stun him only to see the death-eater apparating away microseconds before the stunner would have hit him. Harry looked around for the death-eater to reappear but he didn't.

"Shit. I almost had him" Harry groaned inwardly. He knew how close he had been to capturing one of the more powerful death-eaters. But deciding not to waste time, he started to take on a death-eater who had appeared before him. They fought for sometime before he too apparated away leaving a frustrated Harry behind. He looked around to see that the 11'th floor was more balanced now even though the fight was going on fiercely. The light wizards seemed to be matched at 1:2 now rather than what had seemed like 1:7 or 1:8 at the start. Harry saw Moody and McGonagall fighting off some more wizards while Hagrid seemed to be crushing 2 wizards simultaneously. The ministry aurors were also doing a fine job. He was about to engage in battle again when a fierce laughter rang out from the floor above him. Knowing the source of the laughter, Harry took off at full speed towards the stairs. He knocked down two wizards with the butt of his pistol as he reached the stairs. As he rushed up, he put the gun with the gold bullets into his pant pocket. He didn't want to portkey away the person whose laughter caused him so much pain. Rather he wanted to get rid of that person. For the first time in this battle, anger had overtaken him.

[][][][]

Tonks and Kingsley had rushed up to the 12'th floor to find a disastrous scene awaiting them. Most of the ministry aurors were withering in pain while a few were still holding their ground. The number of death-eaters seemed to be too great for the aurors and the Order members to handle. They gave a nod to each other and lunged forward – each stunning a death-eater apiece. The morale of rest of the light wizards seemed to be lifted by this. In the few minutes, Tonks and Kingsley had stunned over 7 death-eaters. Still they knew that those stunned were the lesser skilled one's. Both started firing curses as each got engaged in a new battle. After a few more minutes, Tonks had defeated her opponent though Kingsley seemed to be having a tough fight. Tonks was about to go to Kingsley's help when a death-eater apparated right in front of her. To her horror she noticed that it seemed to be the same death-eater who had been fighting the unknown wizard on the 11'th floor. But as her luck would have it, this death-eater seemed to be covering his eyes as though he had been blinded. She quickly stunned him and apparated away.

As she apparated to another part of the corridor, Tonks saw one of the death-eaters attack Arthur Weasley. Mr. Weasley stunned him before starting to fight another one. Molly Weasley had her back to a wall while she was fighting away death-eaters. Though she was not a fast mover, her spells had enough power in them to take care of the average death-eater. Arthur Weasley was always around her, just in case someone too powerful chose to fight her. Right now, that seemed to be the case. Both Arthur and Molly Weasley were fighting off a single death-eater. After a long battle they were able to make him apparate away with an injured leg before they had the chance to stun him. Tonks was relieved to see that. But the next moment, a high pitched laughter was heard over all the others. Some even stopped fighting to see who it was. What Tonks saw made her feel giddy. She felt as if the ground had been moved away from under her. The source of the laughter stood about 50 feet away from her. But the real source of concern and tears for Tonks was what lay at the feet of the woman who had given off the high-pitched cold-blooded laughter – it was the dead body of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

[][][][]

Mad-Eye Moody had also heard the laughter. His magical eye immediately searched for Harry. He knew that Harry would do anything to get back at the person who had caused so much grief to him. His worst fears were confirmed when he saw Harry rushing towards the stairs. As if on cue, all the death-eaters apparated away from the 11'th floor to the 12'th floor. All the light wizards exchanged a puzzled look and they too apparated away to the 12'th floor, aiming for the farthest corner of the corridor. McGonagall was about to take a step forward but Moody pulled her back. No one had noticed their arrival and he wanted to strike at the right time.

[][][][]

"NOOOOOOOO. It can't be." Tonks screamed out. All eyes were now on Tonks. "Enervate" the woman in the black robes said, pointing to the wizard who had been stunned by Tonks before (_the one who had a duel with Harry on the 11'th floor_). She then looked around to see Tonks who had collapsed on her knees.

"Oh…Nymphadora Tonks. It's always such an emotional moment whenever I meet my blood-relatives. I really am _touched_ to see you here." Bellatrix Lestrange said in a mocking voice, as she lowered her hood to reveal a face which was decorated by the most evil smile one could imagine (unless one had seen Voldemort himself). "Is this…oh…sorry…WAS this your boyfriend? But who would have a relationship with someone like _you_?" she seemed to be thinking aloud.

"Lestrange, you have spoken enough." Tonks had finally gotten up on her feet. "Lets see what you make out of ME." There was a grim determination on her face. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that the remaining Order members and aurors (even the young wizard whom she didn't know, had just come running up) had gathered on the 12'th floor but she paid no heed to them. Everyone had stopped fighting and were looking at what was about to happen.

"OK. As you wish, my – dear – N Y M P H A D O R A" Bellatrix said. Before Tonks even had a chance to raise her wand Bellatrix was mouthing the words "Crucio".

[][][][]

Harry had raced up to the 12'th floor. He looked around to see the awful mess around. It was sickening to see the dead bodies and the injured people lying around. He wanted to throw up but knew that he couldn't. This was not the time for it. This was the time for his revenge. He looked around to locate the source of the laughter. He then heard the evil voice speak again "OK. As you wish, my dear N Y M P H A D O R A". He saw Bellatrix raise her wand towards Tonks. No…he couldn't let anything happen to anyone…not Tonks of all people…he had to do something NOW. His mind was racing against time. He looked at the grim determination on Tonks face as she was raising her wand but he also saw the fear in her eyes. He understood that she knew she wouldn't be able to counter Bellatrix's curse in time. He faintly heard the beginning of the incantation "_Cru_…" and was relieved to know that it wasn't the killing curse. He also understood why Bellatrix was going to cruciate Tonks – she just loved to hurt people. She loved to torture people REAL bad before killing them. But he couldn't let her harm Tonks. He then did what his mind told him to do - he apparated right in front of Tonks.

[][][][]

Moody saw what was happening. He saw Harry run up the stairs and stop – about a hundred feet from where Tonks was. None of them were able to hear the incantation as they were too far from the scene but Moody used his magical eye to see the movement of Bellatix's lips. He saw her mouthing the words "_Crucio_". As soon as he heard her say the word, he got the shock of his life – Harry had apparated right in front of Tonks. 'Shit' was all he said under his breath.

[][][][]

Tonks had heard the incantation clearly. She knew what was about to hit her and she knew very well that she wouldn't be able to cast any spell before the curse hit her. She prepared herself for the pain which she knew would be coming – pain which was beyond the description of words – which made one wish they were dead rather than having to live through this pain. But she couldn't give up. Not for Sirius, not for Kingsley. She wouldn't give up. She continued to raise her wand when it was abruptly brought down by a body apparating in front of her from nowhere. The person had stuck out both his hands and pushed her away. Before Tonks could do anything, she found herself lying on the floor, about 10 feet to the left of where she had been previously, and saw a screaming, withering body at the place where she would have been. She then noticed that it was the same unknown wizard she had seen before.

[][][][]

As Harry reached Tonks, he pushed her away. He knew that he didn't have the time to jump out of the way. As the spell hit him, he saw that Tonks was out of the way. The next thing he knew was pain – pain tearing him from head to toe like a hundred knives plunging into him. But this pain was considerably less than what he had felt when Voldemort had cruciated him. After all, Voldemort was much more powerful than Bellatrix. Plus he was wearing dragon-hide clothes. Though the pain was bearable to an extent, he didn't show it. He wanted to take Bellatrix by surprise. All he wanted to do now was to somehow hold onto his wand and he thanked god when he felt the holly wood stick still in-between his fingers. At least, he had held onto his wand despite all this pain. At least, until now.

"AAAAAAAAAAAggggggggggggggggg…" Bellatrix shouted in anger as she ended the spell. "WHO DARED TO COME BETWEEN ME AND MY PREY?" she bellowed. It seemed that she thought someone had denied her a very fundamental human right. She watched as Harry slowly and painfully got up with his back towards her. "HOW DARE YOU NOT ANSWER ME?" the voice could be heard all over Azkaban. No one moved a muscle. The aurors knew they were outnumbered by far too many while Mad-Eye held the other group back where he had cast a disillusionment charm on everyone. Tonks just lay where she had been thrown down. She saw the wizard in front of her straighten to his full height and noticed for the first time that something was common about him. Even in the darkness which covered up most of his face, something _definitely_ was familiar about him. She saw the wizard turn around to look Bellatrix in the eye. It had started raining outside by now. A flash of lightning made her heart leap into her mouth. Even for the briefest moment possible, there was no mistaking that unruly black hair – not after she had observed it so closely and had wanted to run her hands through it more than once. She looked around and gulped. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived was surrounded by over 40 death eaters and he was facing one of the most feared and powerful death-eater.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE – WHO ARE YOU?" Bellatrix had her wand pointed towards Harry.

"It's such a pity that Voldemort's most trusted servant can't even recognize his worst enemy." Harry mocked her. Throughout the hall, shivers ran through people at the mention of the dark lord's name. "How can you bring me to him if you can't even recognize me?" Harry watched as he saw the recognition dawn on Bellatrix's face.

"Harry Potter"

[][][][]

"Harry Potter? Alastor, what does it mean?" McGonagall was beside herself in fear and panic. Dumbledore would be mad at her if something happened to Harry. They had taken every precaution in the world for the past 5 years to keep this boy safe only for him to ruin it up in one night. Maybe this one someone else – god let this be someone else. "Alastor?"

"It means what you understand Minerva." Alastor moved one pace forward with his wand raised. The others followed his actions. They knew his first move would be the signal for the final attack tonight – maybe even the final attack ever for many of them.

On the other end, Molly Weasley was going mad. What was Harry doing here? She wanted to rush out to him but Arthur Weasley held her back. He was the more sensible of the two of them. He trusted Harry's decision making and did not want to interfere. He knew that both of them could end up losing their lives without being able to help Harry. They had to wait now. Nothing could be done, at least not now.

[][][][]

"Harry Potter. How dare you come in between us?" Bellatrix was still beside herself in anger.

"How dare I? Really Lestrange, it is my business and birth-right to come between all you and your half-blood lord does." Harry maintained his mocking tone though his body was still hurting a lot.

"STOP BOY. How dare you speak about the dark lord like that? I will make you pay for it." Bellatrix aimed her wand again but then her lips curled up in a smile – she could also play the insult game. "Potty boy, how is your godfather? Oops, I forgot…I accidentally killed him." She made her tone as insulting as possible for a human being.

"I know Lestrange. That's why I am here. I want to make sure that you don't do that to anyone else"

In a sing-song tone, which caused even many death-eaters to shiver, she said "I could do it to you if you ask me nicely." Bellatrix's voice made every bit of Harry's body tremble with anger but his subconscious mind calmed him.

"I don't think Tom would like it." Harry said much to the bewilderment of many people around. Many death-eaters didn't even know who Tom was. "By the way, why did Tom send you all? Is he too afraid to come here himself?"

"MIND YOUR TONGUE BOY. DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT THE DARK LORD LIKE THAT. You are not worthy enough for that." Bellatrix's voice was filled with anger now. Harry knew that the time for his attack will be soon. Keeping his eyes on Bellatrix, he said "Tonks, would you please go over there while I and Lestrange have a private chat?" The tone of his voice was more of a statement than a question. Tonks, who had been silently watching all this, nodded her head and apparated away, even though she wanted to stay beside Harry and help him. Relieved that no one else would get hurt right now, Harry got ready for the attack. He knew that as long as Bellatrix was in front of her, none of the other death-eaters would fight him. No one wanted to be at the receiving end of Bellatrix's anger for taking away her _prey_ from her. As Harry was speaking to Tonks, Bellatrix continued to meet his gaze. Once Tonks apparated away, Harry shouted "TONKS. I asked you to go away. This is between me and Lestrange. Why did you apparate to her back? Now lower your wand and go away."

"What?" Bellatrix said, turning her head to see who was behind her. Harry had been waiting just for this. The aching in his body had gone down sufficiently for him to start his quick movements again. Though he knew Bellatrix was ruthless and cunning, he still had hoped that this trick might work. And it did. As Bellatrix was turning her head backwards, Harry had flicked his left arm, causing the gun, with the normal bullets, to come sliding down. None of the death-eaters notice this. All of them were expecting Harry to use his wand. As soon as Bellatrix saw that no one was behind her, she was filled with rage. She knew that she had fallen for the centuries old trick but what caused her anger to go up two more notches was that she had been tricked by Harry Potter – a 16 year old kid. She quickly turned her head, noticing Harry's left hand coming up. Relief washed over her – apparently the kid had been unable to use this time to raise his wand. But the relief was for a fraction of a second only. She faced Harry just in time to see 2 bullets being fired out of a muggle weapon and saw Harry apparate away.

[][][][]

The corridor on the 12'th floor was even bigger than that on the 11'th floor. Harry had decided that he would use the full corridor width to his advantage. Just as Bellatix's came round to face him once again, his gun had been aimed. He fired two quick shots and apparated away before even hearing the sound of her scream – both in pain and frustration.

[][][][]

Moody had not moved a muscle during all this time. He had seen Bellatrix fall for the trap. What he had not expected was that Harry would use a muggle-weapon. But he felt that it was one of Harry's better ideas. Most of the wizards usually watched out for the wand hand of their opponent. None of them would have expected Harry to come up with something like this. His magical eye looked at McGonagall who seemed to be on her edge. She seemed mad at Harry. Even though Moody himself was mad at Harry, he was feeling quite proud of him. Harry was fighting much better than most of the aurors he had seen. Maybe Harry was fighting at a level equal to Moody's himself – if not better.

Tonks had also apparated near them. She was nervously watching all this. "Why did Harry have to do this? My god, he took on a cruciatus knowing fully well what would happen." She shivered at the thought of how much pain Harry must have felt. Tonks's thoughts were now racing. "How can I help him? He will die…he will die. What will I tell Remus – that I let Harry die? GODDAMNIT – WHY THE HELL DOES HE HAVE TO BE SO NOBLE AND ALWAYS HAVE TO ACT THE HERO? WHY?" She seemed to be going nowhere. She watched the others. They were all prepared to rush in on Moody's signal, who was one step in front of the others. She turned back to watch Harry as she heard him shouting her name. She saw Bellatrix fall into his trap and knew the moment had come. Harry was going to attack Bellatrix and she had to help him. But how – to this she had no answer.

Moody had been watching Harry raise his gun. "Everyone – watch out for muggle bullets. They can cause real pain" Moody whispered to the other members. Moody saw Harry fire the first shot and understood. It was time for them to take care of the other death-eaters while Harry took on Bellatrix. He rushed out, followed by others. About 15 death-eaters fell, stunned, before they even understood what was happening. Moody calculated in his mind – about 25 death-eaters versus 15 light wizards. They had a fair chance of living now.

[][][][]

Upon seeing the light wizards rush out from the other end of the corridor, Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley started to battle again. They HAD TO win today.

[][][][]

Tonks saw everybody rush towards the death-eaters the moment Harry had fired his shots. She wanted to attack herself but could not bring her to itself. It would be unfair to Harry if she left him. But wait – Harry didn't want anyone to die…not after what had happened to Sirius. She couldn't let her affections for Harry overcome her duty. Harry wouldn't want that. With a vengeance, Tonks rushed out of her cover, shooting off spells at speeds she never had thought she could do.

[][][][]

Harry apparated away 30 feet to the left of where he had been before, at an angle of 60 degrees from Bellatrix. With satisfaction he saw that one of his bullets had hit Bellatrix on her left shoulder. She was crying out in pain but more so out of anger. Before he had was able to raise his wand, Bellatrix spun around and fired off 2 spells towards him. Harry apparated away to her back and fired away a curse. This time, Bellatrix apparated away after she saw the spells coming towards her. Both Harry and Bellatrix were now facing each other, 50 feet apart. The duel had only just begun.

Bellatrix fired off a series of spells towards Harry. Harry saw the streaks of lights coming towards him.

"_Accio Ostium_" he said pointing to one of the prison cell doorways. The door broke away and sped towards him. The door and the spells collided in mid-air, about 20 feet away from him. It was blasted to pieces by the combined force of the 2 spells.

Harry had expected this. Before the impact had even taken place, he had fired off a stunning spell followed by a _Reducto_ hex. He knew that his curses will reach the doorway area after it had been blasted apart.

Bellatrix saw the door getting shattered by the spells. She had barely seen it when she saw two streaks of light coming towards her. She apparated away to her left, just micro seconds before the spells would have hit her. She sent a '_Humus Fragosus_' spell near Harry feet. Harry rolled away as the area where he had been standing caved in, revealing a hole.

Before Harry had time to recover, he saw a _Reducto_ curse flying towards him followed closely by a '_Humus Contremisco_' curse. This curse was supposed to hit the ground near the victim and cause a tremor which would throw him off balance. To Bellatrix's elation she saw that Harry had no chance to move out of the way. But her elation turned into anger and surprise when both the streaks of light seemed to vanish a few inches before it hit their target.

"_Cruor Exhaustus_" Bellatrix used a very dark spell this time. This spell would drain off the blood of anyone who got hit by it. Harry saw the spell coming towards his chest and jumped backwards. He was flying parallel to the floor as the spell grazed his vest without causing any damage. In one smooth motion, he rolled over his back and turned to face Bellatrix.

"_Reputo Insophismata_" Harry said. The spell was more powerful than usual because of the energy his shield had absorbed previously. This was a very ancient spell which caused the victim to think illogically. All the things around them seemed to make no sense at all. Bellatrix saw the blue light coming towards her and cast a powerful black shield which caused the spell to rebound towards Harry. Harry had already apparated to 50 feet on the other side before the spell came back. He had his gun ready and fired two quick shots before apparating away again. he came back to his original place to hear Bellatrix screaming in pain. Apparently, she hadn't been prepared for such quick action and muggle weapons.

"Avada Kedavra" Bellatrix bellowed but her anger caused her to misdirect the spell a little bit. Knowing she had missed, she quickly cast two rapid-fire stunning spells.

Seeing the state Bellatrix was in, Harry decided to try one of the most complicated spells in his knowledge. He put up his shield again and let it absorb the 2 stunning spells, much to the anger of Bellatrix. He knew that he had just gained some power from his shield absorbing the 2 spells and he wanted to use this power. "_Accio Ostium Intentio_" He said, pointing his wand towards Bellatrix. This was a very complex spell which caused specified objects to fly towards a target. It required a huge amount of control. Harry knew that if he had to overcome Bellatrix, he had to take some risks. With great concentration, he cast the spell – hoping he would be able to control it. At once, he heard all the doors in the corridor blasting away from their hinges with a huge bang. They all sped towards Bellatrix at incredible speeds. Bellatrix saw her chance now. She knew the spell and knew that the castor had to point towards the target till the last second possible for the objects to hit their target, otherwise the objects would be out of control and could hit anything and everything. Bellatrix knew that either she could apparate away from her position now or she could curse Potter. If she apparated away, she would miss this chance. She decided she would rather take on the hit and curse Potter than miss this chance.

"_Reducto_" "_Ossis Contero_" she sent off two quick spells (the second of which was intended to crush all the bones in Harry's body) towards Harry who was resting on one of his knees with his wand pointed towards her. Though she desperately wanted to finish off Potter, she knew her master would be furious with her, so she sent curses which were sure to cause pain. Harry tried to put up a shield and succeeded in it though he knew the shield would not be able to survive the combined forces of the two curses. Apparently, he had been unable to concentrate too much on the shield because of his other spell. Both Harry and Bellatrix saw the inevitable yet both held their ground. This battle was more than just survival – it was about survival with respect.

[][][][]

Tonks had taken on a gigantic death-eater. She was fighting with a purpose – to make Harry proud of her. She was fighting with all her determination. Out of the corner of her eye, she had noticed that Moody and McGonagall were winning in their duels. In that split moment, she was hit with a 'Blinding-light' spell, which caused her to be momentarily blinded. She did the only thing which came to her mind – she apparated away to the 11'th floor. In a second, she had performed the counter-curse and had apparated back to the 12'th floor. She found herself at point-blank range from the death-eater but luckily, his back was facing towards her. Apparently, he had moved some paces in search of Tonks. She muttered a quick 'Stupefy' when a blast shook the whole floor. All the doors (one of which was just in front of her) had blasted off their hinges. She threw herself towards the ground and watched the scene - her eyes went wide in shock. All the doors were flying towards Bellatrix while two curses were flying towards Harry.

[][][][]

Moody was having a difficult time with this death-eater. This was the same guy who had been fighting Harry on the 11'th floor. He had been moving with great speed and agility before but now seemed to have slowed down a bit. Obviously, the duel with Harry had taken a toll on him. Moody then used the same technique which Harry had used though he did it faster. He blinded the death-eater with a flash of light and then apparated to his back. To his surprise, the death-eater had apparated away. Moody looked around to see that the death-eater was standing about 15 feet away from him with his back towards a cell. Moody knew he would be hit with a curse when a small explosion seemed to shake the whole floor. He looked at the death-eater to see that he had been knocked out by a door which had hit him from behind. He quickly moved out of the way and his magical eye looked around. Many aurors and death-eaters had been knocked out by doors which had blasted off their hinges. His magical eye locked on a scene which had the attention of every member (who had not been stunned or knocked out) on the 12'th floor – iron and wooden doors flying towards Bellatrix and two streaks of light flying towards Harry.

[][][][]

Remus had started pacing along the room while Dobby was popping nervously around. They hadn't had a single prisoner for the past 40 minutes. Either there was heavy fighting going on or Harry was injured or Harry was d… "No, Harry is OK." He reassured himself before starting to pace around again.

[][][][]

Harry saw the two streaks of light heading towards him. He recognized the _Reducto_ curse but not the second one. Whatever it was, he knew that it had to be very painful. With grim determination, he held his wand towards his target – knowing well that Bellatrix couldn't avoid getting hit this time. He felt the _Reducto_ curse hitting his shield. But instead of getting absorbed or reflected, he felt the shield break apart. At the same time, he saw all the doors crash into Bellatrix with a huge 'boom'. Each door bashed into the previous one causing greater impact. At last he saw the last of the doors crash into the pile of wood, iron and what he hoped – maybe flesh and blood. His satisfaction lasted for just a millionth of a millisecond before the bone-crusher spell caught him flush in the chest. Luckily, the dragon hide vest absorbed quite a lot of the power of the spell but he still felt his most of ribs break. He was blasted back about 10 feet from where he had been. Blood gushed out of his mouth while he lay flat on his back.

Harry knew he was alive, and thanked Sirius for it. He desperately fought off the blackness which threatened to overtake his body and mind. After what seemed to be an eternity, which in reality was only a few seconds, he slowly got up. More blood spluttered from his mouth at this but he knew he had to get up. He simply had no choice. He slowly sat up with his body-weight supported on his left hand. He looked around to see most of the aurors and death-eaters were down on the ground. He saw that except for Hagrid, Mad-Eye and Tonks, no one seemed to move. Hagrid was still clutching the twisted hand of one of the death-eaters who had been hit by a door while Mad-Eye's magical eye was spinning around, taking in everything he could see and watching out for the least amount of movement. Tonks seemed to be staring at him with what seemed to be tears in her eyes. She seemed too weak stand-up, leave alone move. Slowly, Harry tried to get up on his feet but failed. The pain was just too much to bear. He was about to call Tonks over when one of the doors in the pile seemed to move.

"No…she's still got strength in her." Harry now almost wished that the impact had killed her. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against Bellatrix in this condition. He saw around 3-4 doors getting blasted off the pile. Bellatrix somehow managed to crawl out through the gap in the pile. Harry dragged himself backward until his back hit the wall. He turned around by an angle of 30 degrees to face Bellatrix.

"Well done Potter. You..uh…are…uh…uph….tough" she managed to say with great difficulty. Her breathing seemed to come in small gasps, much like Harry's. She was dragging herself along the floor. Her legs seemed to be broken and she was covered with blood. This sight made Harry smile a bit but he quickly stopped. The pain caused by the smile was too much. Bellatrix was also in great pain. She looked around to see that three light wizards were still there. She tried to raise her wand towards Harry even though her arm was twisted in strange angles. Harry saw the move and fired 3 bullets at her. With satisfaction, he saw one of the bullets hit her near her wrist. Both of them cried out in pain – Harry for the effort caused in raising his left arm and firing, Bellatrix at the impact of another bullet. Bellatrix held onto her wand for dear life. She knew she didn't have a chance now but was happy to see Harry was hurt badly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Moody raising his wand. With a last effort and an ear splitting cry, she touched a shining badge-like thing on her left shoulder. Even as Moody's spell raced towards her, a series of 'whooshes' caused her to be teleported away to another place along with most of the remaining death-eaters.

"Damn. A mass portkey." Moody growled. He then turned back towards Harry who seemed to splutter up more blood. He moved towards Harry and growled "Potter, if you die then I will come after you in hell." Harry just gave a weak smile and whispered "Tonks".

"TONKS" Moody growled. Seeing no response from her, Moody shouted out for the second time "NYMPHADORA". This seemed to bring her back to her senses and she rushed towards them.

"HARRY – why did you do this?" Tonks shouted as she ran towards him. Harry held up his hand to stop her from hugging him. He knew that he had very little time left.

"Moody, see you in hell" Harry said with great difficulty and a smile. Moody scowled back at him which Harry understood was Moody's way of smiling. Harry grabbed Tonks's hand and replaced his gun in the forearm hostler. He took out his other gun (the one with the golden bullets) and touched a particular round shaped blob on the lower side of the muzzle. Both he and Tonks felt a pull behind their navel as the portkey got activated.

[][][][]

"What happened?" Minerva McGonagall said as soon as she was enervated by Moody. One by one, all of the remaining aurors and Order members were enervated. "I asked what happened." McGonagall said in her professor like tone, which was quavering in shock.

"You got hit by one of those doors." Moody said pointing to the pile of wood, iron and blood.

"Where's Potter and Lestrange?" McGonagall was starting to remember what she had seen just before getting knocked out.

"Gone" Moody replied.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GONE?" McGonagall shouted at the top of her lungs and immediately knew it was the wrong thing to do because of the pain it caused. A sudden fear gripped her "Is Potter alive?" she asked, praying that her worst fears had not come true.

"Yes. He apparated away after the fight" Moody said. Moody looked at Hagrid who silently turned away his head. They knew that Harry was already in deep trouble – one because he was doing underage magic before a group of ministry aurors and secondly because McGonagall was a strict disciplinarian. They didn't want to get him into any more trouble by saying that Harry had used a portkey (_though Moody was very happy about it. At least, Potter was learning to keep himself alive_) added to the fact that it was an illegal one. Both Moody and Hagrid were sure that Harry would have to face another trial for all this.

"Apparated away? Where the hell did he learn to apparate? He doesn't even have an apparation license. What the hell was he doing here? What…" Moody cut short McGonagall's ranting.

"You should thank him. Because of him you are still alive. I don't know how many people would have done what he did for you." Moody was definitely angry now. Professor McGonagall looked at Moody and pursed her lips. Of course, she was grateful to Harry but that didn't give him the license to endanger his life. She decided she would wait for her chance to question Harry, or rather lecture Harry.

Everyone was now helping clear up the debris. All of them had a grim look on their faces – there had been far too many casualities on their side added to the fact that Azkaban had been wiped clean of death-eaters.

[][][][]

"50 minutes. WHERE THE HELL IS HE?" Remus shouted out in desperation. Dobby cowered at a corner. He too was very worried now. They had no way of knowing what was happening. All they had managed to do was stun the death-eaters 2 more times in these past 50 minutes. "I just hope he is here soon" Remus said out loud but not speaking to anyone in particular. As if in answer to his prayer, he heard a loud 'thud' and a grimace of pain. Instantaneously he raised his wand but stopped dead at the scene before him. Tonks had appeared with someone who looked quite a bit like the boy he had seen 50 minutes before. Remus and Dobby stood stunned at the state of Harry Potter.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS STARING AT?" Tonks bellowed, causing both Remus and Dobby to come out of their stupor. "Help him before he dies."

Remus went near and was about to touch him when Harry said "Dobby" Dobby appeared near him, with tears in his eyes. "Take us…ooph…to my room in…aaahhhh…the trunk." Dobby nodded and stunned all of the 3 wizards around him. In three cracks, all of them were inside Harry's trunk. Dobby then went on to enervate them.

"Where are we?" Tonks asked, surprised at the sudden change of place. "Later…" came the whisper from Harry. He held up his right hand, which still had his wand in a tight grip, and pointed towards a doorway. Remus and Tonks looked at each other and nodded. They picked up Harry and moved towards the doorway. As they reached the door, Harry was mentally 'asking the door' to let Tonks and Remus in. All of them entered the Room-of-Requirement in the 5'th compartment of the trunk.

"What is this place?" Tonks looked around the large empty room. Harry was mentally wishing the room to provide more time. He also wished the room to provide anything which Tonks and Remus wanted. Then he asked for all the requirements to get his wounds healed. Opening his eyes for the first time in about 30 seconds, he saw Tonks and Remus staring wide-eyed at all the things which had appeared in the room.

"Just ask for what you want…aahhhhhh" Harry just managed to say this before darkness finally engulfed him.

"HARRY POTTER. DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME" Tonks bellowed, her vision corrupted by the tears welling up in her eyes. She and Remus took Harry to a bed which had appeared near them. Remus started to take off Harry's shirt while Tonks helped. They had difficulty in taking off his vest (_where did he get these, Tonks wondered_) but eventually it came off. Dobby was also trying his best to help them. At last, they were able to rest Harry properly. Remus looked around and found some medicines. He quickly went over what he had learnt in school and forced a bottle of medicine in Harry's mouth (_Quick Bone Mending Syrup_). This medicine was supposed to mend bones in 1-3 days time, depending on the severity of the injury. Also, it was supposed to stop any kind of blood clotting inside Harry's body. Both Remus and Tonks were inwardly cursing themselves for not having paid any attention to all the things which Madam Pomphrey had said to them over the years. They were both worried to death. They now had nothing else to do but wait – which they did with baited breath.

[][][][]

Harry had been walking in a large, almost endless, white room. He had been walking for a long time and, to his surprise, didn't feel tired. There was no pain or sorrow here – only relief and happiness. At last, he saw some blurred figures ahead. He moved forward to get a better view at them.

"Mum, Dad" Harry saw two smiling figures waving at him. His heart was filled with warmth. At last he was going to see them. Wait – there was also Sirius standing beside his father. He was also waving to him.

"C'mon son. We'll all be happy here" His dad called out at him. "You won't have to take on the burden of the world on your shoulders."

"Yes son." His mom was now urging him to come forward.

"But Mom, Dad – I have to be there. They need me." Harry said in a disappointed voice. He wished he could go over to them but a certain portion of his heart kept him from going.

"Hey Harry. You don't need to be there. They don't love you Harry, they are just using you. We love you" Sirius was now calling him. Harry took one step forward but stopped. His face had become full of determination.

"NO. I have to stay. I have to protect these people. I HAVE TO STAY" he shouted out these last 4 words as the figures and the large white room disappeared from his view.

[][][][]

2 days had passed in the trunk since Harry had been brought in. Remus and Tonks had been taking shifts watching over him. Dobby was always present – even when he was not needed. He had not slept for the past 2 days. Neither Remus nor Tonks had been able to convince him to get some sleep (_What if Harry Potter gets up and asks for his Dobby?_). They were both touched by the feelings of Dobby. Currently he sat in a corner of the room from where Harry's bed was visible to him. Tonks was the one who was watching over him now. Her bruises and cuts had been mended within hours after coming back from Azkaban.

Tonks had explained everything to Remus. Remus had been very upset with himself for having let Harry go ahead with his plan. He had told Tonks all about Harry's plan and showed her the prisoners. Tonks looked at Remus with rounded eyes. This was a real asset for them. Even the ministry may not have found any prisoners and here were four of them. She was very impressed with Harry's idea of using a bullet-portkey. Later, Remus, Tonks and Dobby had taken them to the 5'th compartment. They were thinking of a secure place to keep these prisoners when 4 cells appeared out of nowhere. They just wished for these cells to be apparation-proof, summon-proof and all the things they could think off. Dobby had taken care of providing food to the prisoners in their cells. The prisoners had initially tried to break the walls of the cell (their wands had been taken away by Remus) but had given up after a few tries. They knew they were in some prison though they didn't know where. All they hoped for was to come out alive from here since nothing seemed to work here. The first time food had appeared before them had left them stunned but they had gotten used to it after the 2'nd time. A small self-cleaning toilet was also present which was of immense help to them and they thanked god that they did not have to live with their shit around. None of the prisoners knew about the others but they knew they had to stay there until their captors let them go.

Tonks was sitting near Harry. She was lost in her thoughts. Her mind was replaying everything which had happened at Azkaban. She remembered how impressed she was to see the _unknown_ wizard fighting a powerful death-eater. She looked at Harry's face and wondered how he had done all the moves there. He had fought better than all of the other light wizards there. He had shown tremendous skill added to the fact that he had saved McGonagall's life – not many people would do something like that. Tonks thought about how Harry had taken on the Cruciatus from Bellatrix. She could never imagine whether she would have done such a thing if she had been in Harry's place. It seemed to have become almost his second nature to take on other people's burdens and save others. Tonks was sure that Harry would risk his life for anyone and everyone. He would never make any discrimination. She ran her hand through his hair and the scar came into view. What a burden this world had put on him, Tonks thought. She felt sure she would have gone mad if she had been in his position. She looked at him and saw what years of malnutrition had done to him. Though he had filled up in some places, he would always be a slim guy. But one thing was sure – those people on whom the sun named Harry Potter had shined would bask in its warmth for the rest of their lives.

"I HAVE TO STAY" these words startled Tonks. Remus and Dobby got up from their respective positions seeing that Harry was moving a bit. They came up to him and saw Harry trying to open his eyes. After a while, he was successful in this. He looked around at the 3 of them and gave a weak smile. Both Remus and Tonks gave a sigh of relief and smiled back.

"HARRY POTTER IS OK" Dobby started popping all over the place "HARRY POTTER IS OK" Harry gave a feeble smile and said "Hello werewolf, hi tonkie" The last word caused Dobby to freeze. He looked at Tonks with apprehension and fear in his eyes. Remus gave a laugh at Dobby's frightened look and Harry smiled. Tonks looked a bit angry but got over it _very_ quickly and joined in the laughter. Relieved, Dobby started bouncing in excitement again.

"You had us worried. You are a read bad godson, do you know that?" Remus said with a smile. He had smiled for the first time in 2 days.

"Yeah. And you will be a bad godfather if you blame yourself for what happened." Harry said knowing fully well that Remus must have been doing just that. Remus didn't meet his gaze. "Remus, Sirius did what he had to and I did what I had to. You are as much to blame for my condition as I am to blame for Sirius's death" Harry's voice was pretty grave now. He had to sort out some things.

"Yeah Remus. Don't go blaming yourself for what happened. At least Harry has a point." Tonks chipped in. Remus gave the slightest of nods.

"How long have I been out?" Harry asked to both of them ytrying to get up but not finding enough strength in himself. He gave up the effort.

"According to that clock - 2 days and 8 hours" Tonks said, pointing to the clock on the farther wall. "But you should rest some more. By the way Har, why did you scream?"

"Nothing – just a dream." Harry said, neither telling the full truth nor lying. It seemed like he didn't want to talk about it. Tonks understood this and did not press further.

"AND WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING IN AZKABAN?" Tonks burst out. She had kept herself controlled for quite some time now, but not anymore. "You have any idea about what it felt seeing you take the cruciatus? Have you any idea what it was to see you challenge Bellatrix when most of the aurors in their right minds wouldn't do that? Have you any idea what it was to see you fight like hell there? Do you know how it felt seeing you sitting there while two curses were heading towards you? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I WENT THROUGH?" Tonks was sobbing now and had collapsed on the bedside.

Harry looked at Remus for some support but found none. He knew that he had to repair this whole thing. Someone once had said – you reap what you sow. It was time for Harry to face the situation.

"Tonks" Harry said in a delicate whisper "Please look at me." He waited for Tonks to look up. He still felt pain while moving his body parts and knew he needed some more rest. Though his ribs felt like they had joined perfectly, they felt a bit brittle to him. Better wait for another day than start jumping around, Harry thought. After a few long seconds Tonks looked up. "I am sorry. I didn't know it would hurt you guys so much – that it would hurt _you_ so much." Harry's voice was filled with emotion. Everyone, including Dobby, were gazing at him now. "I couldn't help it"

"WHAT COULDN'T YOU HELP? KILLING US OUT OF FRIGHT?" Tonks burst out again at what seemed to be a half-explanation to her.

"Please Tonks. I have to do what I have to do. You guys know that Voldemort is after me" Both Remus and Tonks flinched a bit at his name. Dobby gave a tiny squeak. "I have to fight him and his followers."

"And who gave you the license to take on the responsibility to stop You-Know-Who?" Remus asked this time. They were not going to give in without a fight. They had to knock some sense into Harry's thick head. "Why don't you stop now Harry? You know, you don't have to take revenge from him. No one will think any less of you if you don't jump into this war every time you get chance"

"You don't understand." Harry said knowing fully well that he couldn't say more – he daren't say more. "We have to end this war and I have to help."

"No mister, you don't have to" Tonks snapped. "You have to live for the people who love you. You just can't take their emotions for a ride. Who do you think you are – superman?"

"Superman! Who is that?" Remus asked in bewilderment.

"Never mind Remus. Forget it" Harry wanted to finish this topic as soon as possible.

"Forget what Harry, forget what? You gave us the creeps today, do you know that?" Tonks said this in a whisper though everyone was able to hear it. "Swear that you won't do that again…swear." Tonks looked at Remus for some support. Remus nodded his head in agreement.

"I won't…even though…I can't" Harry paused before turning his head away.

"Why, Harry why?" Remus and Tonks chorused. It may have been funny at other times but their voices were dead serious. They had to know what was the reason behind Harry's actions.

"Because it is my destiny" Harry said without turning his head.

"Look Har, if you start to say something like old Trelawney, then I will knock your head off" Tonks was becoming impatient. "We – make – our – own – destiny." She said this very slowly, as if she was trying to teach a 5-year old boy something very basic.

"We don't – at least not me." Harry spat out. His emotions were threatening to break his walls.

"Look Harry. I understand your position" Remus said in a soothing voice. "You feel it your duty to avenge your parents. Maybe if I had been in your position, I would have done the same. But listening to the elders helps sometime, young man. We don't have grey hair for nothing" Harry turned to face Remus. He knew that there was no other way out this time. He had to tell them or they would do this to him every time he did something like that. It would better be now rather than sometime later.

"I know Remus. I really hope you were right. You know, I want to live like some other teenager but I can't…I GODDAMN CAN'T." Harry spat out these words. Tonks looked at him with concern and was about to say something but Harry cut her off.

"Don't say anything about destiny – mine's written." He said with a look towards Tonks. "Tonks, did you know that Wormtail slipped away right through our fingers?" Tonks nodded and said "Yes. Remus told me."

"Did you know that I knew about it before it happened – though I didn't know the correct meaning till it actually happened."

"What do you mean?" Tonks asked, not sure whether she was supposed to understand what Harry was saying or not. Remus gave a questioning look at Harry.

"Professor Trelawney made a prophecy that it would happen…" Harry looked at both of them who were looking startled "…before it actually happened. She made the prophecy in front of me."

"WHAT???" Remus was out of his chair. Tonks kept opening and closing her mouth as if trying to say something but seemed unable to find the right words.

Harry then explained what had happened that day – and that night. When he finished, both Remus and Tonks were looking at each other and then at Harry. They were stunned beyond words.

"You mean that old hag can really say something about the future?" Tonks was the first one to regain her voice.

"That was her second true prophecy" Harry stated.

"Second? Then there must be a first…I am really dumb…there has to be a first for something to be second" Tonks was cursing herself for being so stupid. "What was the first?"

Harry took a deep breath and looked around. He motioned Dobby to come close and mentally asked the room to let no one – except the Remus, Tonks and Dobby – hear what he was about to say. When Dobby came close, he saw that Dobby looked terrified.

"Don't be frightened Dobby. I trust you. After all, you are my friend." Harry said putting to rest the fears in Dobby's mind. Dobby's face broke into a short grin before becoming serious. Remus and Tonks exchanged a look.

"What I am about to say is known to only 2 people. No one else knows and I would prefer it to be kept in that way." Everyone around Harry nodded their heads.

"Who else knows?" Remus asked before Harry could continue.

"No prizes for guessing." Harry said.

"Dumbledore?" Tonks asked, knowing the answer well enough. Harry just nodded. Everyone went silent. Harry closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath before opening his eyes again. It was time.

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**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 6'th chapter. 6 chapters in 6 weeks – I hope I am doing ok. Today is JKR's birthday and Harry's too. Just couldn't miss out this opportunity when my whole chapter is based on July 31'st. So, a happy birthday to the goddess and her angel J.

I have used many cut-scenes in this chapter and tried to make the fight as enjoyable as possible. I didn't have time to go through it as I have been very busy in my work. I typed out this in 7 hours flat. So forgive any typos or other mistakes. If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.

**skeeter007 **– As to the setup of Harry/Fudge, it is towards the start where Harry goes through Malfoy's papers and makes a quick firecall to fix an appointment. About why Harry let Percy go – it will come later on. J Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Kateydidnt** – I haven't read Acceptance of Fate but I hope that my story isn't too much like it. Otherwise it would only mean a waste of time for all who read this. Like I had said in my previous chapter's notes, some of the things are common with some story's like Harry buying some stuff etc. But otherwise it's a different thing – at least I hope so.

As for the ministry detecting the Dark Mark – the ministry HAS to have some way of detection because their officials have to jump all over the country to obliviate the muggles who have seen a attack and the mark. They can't go on placing wards around each and every house. So, it has to be some device.

**Bushido** – Thanks for your review. I have this problem with 'suddenly' – had this since school while writing essays. I hope I have improved in the latter chapters. And thanks for your views – this is the first time I am writing a story. I don't think I will use a beta now but I will keep it in mind. And you should have kept the CAPS lock off. I had thought you were really shouting at me.

**And all the guys who reviewed** – Thanks for your reviews. Please know that they are very much appreciated and give me a real kick-in-the-back to continue writing.

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	7. Confessions & Revelations

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 7 – Confessions & Revelations**

"What I am about to say is known to only 2 people. No one else knows and I would prefer it to be kept in that way." Everyone around Harry nodded their heads.

"Who else knows?" Remus asked before Harry could continue.

"No prizes for guessing." Harry said.

"Dumbledore?" Tonks asked, knowing the answer well enough. Harry just nodded. Everyone went silent. Harry closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath before opening his eyes again. It was time.

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"Severus, did you know anything about this before?"

"No sir. The dark lord had not discussed it with anybody. We were all summoned 10 minutes before the attack." Snape answered.

"Alastor, please give me a detailed report of everything that happened yesterday night." Dumbledore's voice was calm but the coldness in it was very prominent. He had returned instantly after receiving the owl from the Order members but alas, he was too late to do anything. The battle at Azkaban was technically won but still, they had lost by a huge margin. Everyone who had been there was sure that by now, Voldemort and his lackeys must be celebrating their victory.

Moody got up and looked around for a moment. The emergency Order meeting had started as soon as Dumbledore had arrived. Arthur and Molly Weasley looked as if they had seen a ghost. Molly was still shaking from time to time. Minerva McGonagall was trying her best to keep her composed self but seemed to be failing miserably. Bill and Charlie Weasley had just joined in. They had remained back at the headquarters to protect the younger Weasleys and Hermione and seemed eager to learn what had happened. Dung seemed to be uncomfortable from the after-effects of the hexes which had hit him. Snape, who had not gone to the rescue since he had been summoned, seemed to be in a _very_ foul mood. Remus and Tonks sat side-by-side looking as if they had just been through a lot recently. Radould MacMillan, one of the foreign members of the Order, looked as if someone had died in his family. Hagrid stood in a corner of the room, refusing to sit down despite repeated pleas from Dumbledore. The other members all were finding the table or the floor or the ceiling to be quite fascinating. All had a faraway look in their eyes as they were reliving what they had seen and done the previous night (though it was only a few hours before as it was 7:00 A.M. on August 1'st).

"Why don't you let someone else do the talking? You know I am not very good at explaining" Moody said with a scowl in his voice. He just wasn't in the mood to talk now. If he had had his way, he would be sitting in an empty room and analyzing what had happened – and would be preparing his next course of action.

Dumbledore looked somewhat disgruntled at this. He did not expect anyone to pass on their responsibility to the other unless those responsibilities were too horrible. He looked around the table once again and prepared himself for something worse than what he had thought previously. Turning back to Moody, he said "Because I am looking for facts – blunt facts and you are the best man for it. Pease proceed Alastor."

Moody noticed the air of finality in Dumbledore's voice. Inwardly he was cursing his luck but knew that he had to do what was being asked of him. With as much courage as he could summon, he started off with the number of causalities and their name. The light wizards had lost 14 of their members out of which Kingsley Shacklebolt was one. Another 8 casualties had been that of the ministry aurors (including Kingsley). It seemed that 12 death-eaters had also died – all of them had taken killing curses which the light wizards had avoided. He approximated that there were at least 60 death-eaters present at the battle. Dumbledore did not move a muscle while hearing all this. Moody then recounted what he had seen at Azkaban. When he reached the part where Harry had saved McGonagall's life, Dumbledore seemed to stiffen a bit.

"Sorry for interrupting you Alastor, but did you say Harry was there? Harry Potter?" Dumbledore looked at Moody in disbelieve. Moody gave an affirmative nod. "And he was using magic?" Another affirmative nod followed. "Anything else?" Dumbledore asked. "Apparation" came the reply from Moody. Dumbledore looked concerned at this. Harry was not supposed to perform magic outside school and he wasn't supposed to know how to apparate. In spite of these, he WAS performing magic and had learned to apparate added to the fact that he had done all this in front of a load full of ministry aurors. What puzzled him even more was that he had not been notified by the ministry that Harry had been doing underage magic.

"Why hasn't the ministry notified me about Harry's use of underage magic? Kingsley, do you have any idea about what is go…" Dumbledore trailed off realizing that there was no Kingsley here today – and there would be none in the future too. The mood around the table worsened. Dumbledore then turned to McGonagall and asked her "Why hasn't the ministry notified me?"

"I don't know" McGonagall replied truthfully.

"Well, I have to ask Fudge about this" Dumbledore looked very grave. He was wondering what he would be able to do this time around to save Harry. Even the last time around, Harry had used the patronus charm to protect himself but this time he had performed magic and apparated at Azkaban – a place which should be unknown to him. This raised another serious question in his mind – how did Harry get to Azkaban?

"He had no right to be there" McGonagall shouted out at that moment. She had kept herself under control before because Dumbledore was not there and the Order members had looked upon her for direction. But now that Dumbledore was back, she decided to become vocal. "How come that boy gets into so much trouble? He could have died today Albus, he…" Dumbledore stopped her in mid-sentence by raising his arm towards her. He understood what she was going through because he himself was feeling very uncomfortable about the scenario.

"How did Harry get there?" Dumbledore looked at Moody as if he had the answer ready. Moody just shrugged his shoulders and said "Must have apparated to Azkaban." This was not a good enough suggestion in Dumbledore's opinion. He turned his head to face the person who he knew would surely have the answer.

"Remus, where were you last night?" the coldness in Dumbledore's voice was very prominent. He expected all his Order members to act as a unit, at least that was what they had been told to do.

Remus stared back at Dumbledore for a second before replying "I was at Harry's house."

"Ha…caught at last. I had told you Headmaster that…" Snape looked like he had caught the snitch at the world championship finals to help England win but his happiness was short-lived as Dumbledore continued talking to Remus.

"I thought that Order duties came before than any other thing." Dumbledore was very serious now. Seldom had anyone seen Dumbledore being so calm and so cold at the same time. Everyone seemed to understand the real thing at last – the war had truly started and it would have many causalities, both physically and morally. "How come you were at Harry's house when this happened?"

"Surely _Headmaster_…" Remus seemed to be matching Dumbledore's tone to the last bit, much to the surprise of everyone "…you couldn't have forgotten that yesterday was Harry's birthday, could you? I was celebrating his birthday with him."

"That doesn't give you the excuse to pass on Order information to Harry." This seemed to incense Remus even more. Dumbledore had accused him of something without even worrying to ask him whether he had done it or not.

"Well sir, could you please point out the person who got this information for the Order?" Remus's voice was scathing now. Dumbledore eyed Remus carefully as Remus continued to stare back at him. Remus had never before stared at him with such contempt in his eyes.

"Alastor, who got the information first?" Dumbledore asked Moody without turning his eyes from Remus. "Tonks" came the reply. Before Dumbledore could come up with the obvious question, Tonks spoke for the first time that day "Harry told me about the impending attack." This statement caused everybody's heads to jerk up from whatever they were doing. Dumbledore looked at Tonks and asked "Harry?" the voice was almost down to a whisper at this apparent shocking statement.

"Yes" Tonks said, without taking her eyes off her hands. She was trying to clear some unseen dirt on her hands.

"But how did Harry know?" Dumbledore's mind was racing against time, formulating different theories of how Harry could have got the knowledge of the attack.

"I don't know. He just said that it was going to happen and it happened." Tonks looked at Dumbledore. Her face had an unreadable expression on it. Dumbledore seemed to think about how Harry got the information when Remus interrupted his chain of thoughts.

"So sir, you were saying something about me passing on information to…" Remus left the sentence hanging in mid-air. He had not taken lightly to Dumbledore's accusation. Dumbledore was snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at Remus for a moment before turning back to Moody. "Alastor, please continue." The room fell silent once again as Moody started to continue from where he had left off.

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"HARRY WAS THERE?" Ron shouted when the twins came in to give their report. Everyone had been so preoccupied that they had failed to notice one extendable ear near the door hinge.

"shhhhhhh" the twins chorused together and jumped up to shut Ron's mouth before he could do any more damage.

"Look guys, this is not a good joke" Ginny spoke from the bed which Harry used to occupy when he was at the Headquarters. She had been in a very foul mood since she had heard about the attack. Hermione was sitting next to her, looking very thoughtful.

"We swear on all our pranks…" George started "…that Harry was there" Fred finished off. "Unless everyone down there is lying" Fred said as George pointed his finger downstairs, where the Order meeting was going on. By this time, Ron had calmed down.

"How did he know of the attack?" Hermione asked. Her face had turned pale when she realized that this was not one of the twins' regular jokes.

"It looks like he had the information first-hand" Fred said as he slumped down at the end of Ron's bed. George, who had grabbed one of the chairs said "Harry informed Tonks about the attack. Otherwise no one would have known about it."

"Tonks?" Ginny said with dislike in her voice "Why did he tell Tonks? He could have told Ron about it." Ron was nodding his head in agreement.

"And what would Ron have done with the information?" Hermione asked both Ginny and Ron. They looked at her for a moment and started to mumble something under their breaths. "Surely, you both don't think that we would have gone to Azkaban to stop the attack, do you? This is the kind of thing that the Order is there to prevent."

"Yeah…seemed like they prevented getting themselves killed too." Ron said sarcastically. Everyone had seen the state of the Order members after they had returned.

"But how did Harry get in touch with Tonks?" it was Hermione this time. She seemed to be analyzing the situation carefully and wanted to get her facts correct.

"Seems like Tonks was in Harry's house yesterday when Harry got to know about the attack." Fred explained. Ginny turned her head away at this comment.

Hermione looked at Fred (or was it George?) and continued her question-round "And how did Harry know of the attack?"

"Dunno." Both the twins shrugged their shoulders. "Maybe he had a scar-attack or something" Fred said while George nodded in agreement.

"Could be…" Hermione looked quite worried as her words trailed off. That would mean that Harry could even be having nightmares. She felt terrible for Harry. She wanted to be by his side now.

"But he could have told me about it after he had told Tonks." Ron spoke for the first time since the twins had clamped his mouth shut. Hermione looked at him in disbelieve while Ginny seemed to have lost all interest in taking part in any conversation. The twins looked at each of them and announced "Duty beckons. We go forth to bring news about the war-front." It was really amazing how seriously the twins took these self-imposed _duties_. They left the room as silently as possible and took up their respective positions.

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Moody had slumped down in his chair after finishing what he had to say. He had once again omitted the part of Harry using a portkey. Looking around he saw that a storm was about to brew up.

"Don't blame Potter for what he did." Everyone was surprised to hear these words coming from Snape's mouth even before anyone had made any comment about Harry. He had paused for the effect before continuing "It's their family trait to show-off."

"Severus, please" Dumbledore did not want any more trouble brewing up before he had dealt with the scenario on hand.

"But Harry shouldn't have been there Albus." McGonagall continued to press on it again. "You know it as much as we do. I may not agree with Professor Snape's point of putting it…" she gave a sidelong glance at Snape who had a scowl on his face "…BUT HE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE."

"And what else should he do, or not do, for that matter?" Remus threw up this question at Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore looked over his moon-glasses towards Remus.

"Excuse me?" McGonagall had been unable to interpret either Remus's question or his cold voice.

"What Remus meant was what should Harry have done when he heard of the news?" Tonks spoke for the first time after Moody had finished his explanation.

"Miss. Tonks, I think that is obvious." Professor McGonagall had gone into her professor-like approach. "He should have let us take care of the situation."

"In the same manner as the Order took care of the Potter's?" this question felt like a slap on the face of McGonagall. "Or in the similar manner in which we (_Tonks gave a quick glance towards Dumbledore turned back to McGonagall_) let him grow up in that hell-hole?"

"Nymphadora, you…" McGonagall was cut off by Tonks who did not care about being called Nymphadora right now.

"Or the manner in which we took care of his Occulmency classes?" Tonks met Snape's gaze which had murder written all over it. "OR THE MANNER IN WHICH THE ORDER FAILED TO TELL HIM WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT TAKING THE OCCLUMENCY LESSONS COULD BE?" Tonks spat out. McGonagall seemed taken aback at this outburst. She regained her self-composure quickly but found herself at a loss of words to counter Tonks's accusations. Dumbledore was staring at Tonks intently, as if trying to find some clue for the reason of her outburst. The other members were too stunned to say anything. Hagrid even silently agreed with whatever Tonks had said. After all, he had had first hand experience at seeing how Harry had been treated at the Dursley's.

"Or maybe he should let the Order handle his whole life for him." Remus said in a cool, calculated voice. "Tell me one thing Professor, though I agree with you but I can't help wonder why _you_ think _Harry_ shouldn't have been there?"

"He could have got killed." McGonagall said, finding some strength in her voice again.

"So?" Remus seemed to be waiting for more.

"So what?" McGonagall asked, knowing fully well that she didn't have any answer to give to Remus. All she knew was that Dumbledore had always maintained that Harry was too important for them to lose.

"A war has it's causalities, don't they Headmaster?" this sudden change of direction caused everyone to change shift their focus towards the headmaster.

Dumbledore gave Remus another calculated look before answering "Miss. Tonks, Remus – I don't want this kind of behavior from now onwards." Dumbledore felt very uncomfortable now. He knew he couldn't answer any more questions like these without saying something about the prophecy. Tonks didn't take lightly to this comment. It was an insult. Snape had got away with everything over the years and when it came to Remus – he had been insulted by Dumbledore twice already within the space of a couple of hours, that too in front of all the other members. She wouldn't have given it a second thought if it had involved only her. But Dumbledore had insulted Remus. Remus had stuck up for her against Mrs. Weasley and she was unable to do anything to help him. She got up and left the room, tripping on the carpet on the hallway.

No one spoke for a minute. No one had ever DARED to think of doing such a thing in the presence of Dumbledore. They had been stunned by what Tonks had just done. Even Remus was still staring at the open doorway (_which was now empty as the twins had disappeared upstairs before they got caught_). Mrs. Weasley, who had become much stable over the past hour even though she didn't feel like talking (_she had wanted to support McGonagall but thought better of getting Remus angry_), kept looking back-and-forth towards the door and Dumbledore. Even Snape seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Seems like you have a very supportive _family_" Snape sneered, being the first one who had been able to get out of the shock in about a minute's time.

"You are right Severus Snape" The voice of an angry Harry Potter bellowed all over 12 Grimmauld Place.

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_"…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_" Harry finished off with a sigh. His gaze was fixed upon a spot on the ceiling. He didn't know what more to say to either Remus or Tonks or Dobby. He just wished that nothing like this had ever happened, that his whole life was just a bad dream but he knew that this was one wish which this room would never be able to provide.

Dobby, who was standing at the bedside since Harry had beckoned him closer, had an expression of pure horror in his eyes. He had known that Harry was very important to the wizarding world but now he knew that he was not very important – he was _the most important person_ of the wizarding world, at least now. He looked at Harry one more time before going back to the corner of the room (_from where he had been observing the injured Harry for the last 2 days in the trunk_) and sat down with his head in-between his knees.

Remus and Tonks were still staring at Harry, 3 minutes since he had stopped talking. Remus was still unable to believe what he had heard. "Maybe my mind just made up the whole thing" he tried to convince himself, but all in vain. He had, never in his wildest dream, visualized that this was why Dumbledore had always said that Harry was important to all of them. He had always thought that Dumbledore thought it was their responsibility to take care of Harry but now he knew what had been going on for years – Dumbledore had been using Harry and was still trying to do so. This was manipulation to the extreme level. He felt a rage build up in his body. He wanted to turn into a werewolf and tear up Dumbledore then and there. But that wouldn't be a solution, only a way to vent his anger. He looked at Harry's face, rather his eyes, and now understood the reason behind shallowness in them, the reason why Harry felt he was responsible for everything bad happening now and the reason why he had those nightmares. He looked at Harry for a long time, not wanting to let go of the moments which passed by. He wanted to save these moments in the deepest and most secure part of his brain and heart. He looked at those unruly hairs and those emerald green eyes which looked haunted. He tried to visualize those eyes in a jovial mood but was unable to do so. His gaze rested upon the scar – '_the Dark Lord will mark him as equal_' – and thought of how much burden one single scar could bring on a person. He shuddered inwardly when he thought of what he would have done if he had been in Harry's position. Looking all over Harry, he closed his eyes and tried his best to store every minute detail about him. He wanted to remember each and every detail about Harry when he would not be around – maybe when he would be dead. He did not want Harry to die but that was a distinct possibility now – a distinct possibility that Remus would lose the youngest member of his new family, his godson. But he now felt a strange calm within. He knew that Harry's fate was sealed and he (and the others) could only hope for the best. Looking at Harry and reliving the words Harry had just said AND thinking about the life Harry had to lead because of it, a certain portion of Remus wished that Harry had never been born or had been killed along with his parents.

Tonks eyes had gone dull. No one could have ever imagined Nymphadora Tonks to look so lifeless, to feel so helpless. She had always been someone who used to bring a spark to other people's lives, mostly at the cost of them making fun of her. She had never given it a second thought – at least, she could make some people happy. But as she looked at the face which was looking straight up at the ceiling, she felt that she may never be able to bring that happiness to her new family. She felt she had failed to make those people happy who mattered the most to her now. She felt she had failed in her life. This past summer had been one of her best. She had spent some quality moments with Harry and Remus and even though those moments were short, those were all heartfelt moments. Harry and Remus had never made fun of her like other people did. Other's treated her more as a joker than anything else. But whenever Harry and Remus had pulled her leg, there had been a feeling of being a part of a family, and family members had every right to poke a bit of fun at you. This feeling had grown stronger as each day had passed this summer because all of them had a common factor in their lives – Sirius. Even now, whenever Harry or Remus made fun of her, they did it with the utmost respect – something which not many people gave her. This was her family and now she hated it for a moment. She hated being part of a family whose other members couldn't share the burden of the youngest member. She hated the very thought of having to lose Harry. For a moment, she hated both Harry and Remus for treating her like the way they had. It would have been much better off if they had never cared for her. At least, she would have felt less pain in that way. But it could not be undone now. She wanted to go and hug Harry. She wanted to take away all his pain. She wanted that _goddamn_ scar on her forehead rather than Harry's. She realized that the emotions she had seen on Harry's face on the evening of his birthday were nothing compared to what reality was. He had spent his whole life in hell – and was still living in hell. Even though he didn't show it, she knew Harry had been mentally prepared himself for what was to come. As much as she wanted, she knew that she could do nothing about it. She now understood by what Harry had meant by his _birth-right_ when he was fighting Bellatrix. All she could do was hope for Harry's survival. She knew one thing for sure – if Harry didn't make it then she wouldn't be able to spend a single minute without being haunted by those sorrow-filled emerald green eyes.

"What?" Harry looked at both Remus and Tonks. Both had expressions which Harry couldn't decipher. He saw a single tear fall down Tonks face while Remus turned away his face. "Hey, you guys. What do you want to do – sit here and cry? C'mon" Harry's voice was angry. "Dobby" Slowly Dobby came forward. Harry saw that he was crying freely. "You too!!!" "At least, don't make me feel like I am already dead" Harry joked.

"Mister – Harry – Potter" Remus had turned to face him once again. Harry saw tears flowing down Remus's face "Never – ever – say – a – dumb – joke – like – that – again". Tonks had looked up to see a crying Remus. That was the last straw – she lost whatever control she had had over herself and broke down completely. Harry looked at all of them and felt his heart getting filled with warmth. He had always known that he was special to Remus but today he understood just what he meant to Remus. He looked at Tonks and Dobby and felt their love for him. He had never understood fully about how everyone had felt about him, maybe because he was too busy preparing himself for his target, but now he knew and he was very happy about it. He wanted to jump around with joy and scream 'I have a family – people who love me'.

"Come close, will you? C'mon, give me a hug and everything will be allright." He said motioning to all of them. He lifted his hands with great effort and managed to give both Tonks and Remus a hug. Both of them hugged him in return. Dobby was standing a little bit away from them when Harry asked "Isn't Harry Potter's Dobby going to give Harry Potter a hug?" Dobby gave a huge grin and almost leapt on all of them. They all held in an embrace for a few seconds before finally pulling away, each with a smile on his/her lips.

"Look guys, nothing comes out of crying. I found it out the hard way, so listen to me, will you?" Harry said to all of them and continued "And don't make me feel like I am walking to my death. No Remus…" Harry interrupted Remus's protest "…I am not joking now. What I am saying is that we have a war on our hands and there will be causalities. It can be me, you or any other person. The least we can do is fight to the best of our abilities and hope we win this war. Even if anyone dies, at least, he or she should try to go out with their heads held high" Harry finished.

"Harry Potter is speaking the truth. Harry Potter is the best wizard Dobby is ever seeing" Dobby said in a whisper which was clearly heard by all of them. Both Tonks and Remus had no choice but to agree with Harry's words. They also agreed with Dobby saying that Harry was the best wizard. After all, a wizard is more than just magic. A wizard is a human too and Harry was easily one of the most selfless person's they had come across.

Harry smiled at Dobby and said "Thank you Dobby. I will always be grateful to you." This caused Dobby to blush so much that both Tonks and Remus laughed at him. Harry forced them to shut up - he hadn't meant to embarrass Dobby. To his relief he saw that Dobby didn't mind it at all. They talked for sometime more before Harry felt too tired to continue anymore. He persuaded Dobby to go to sleep after he heard the news that Dobby hadn't slept for 2 straight days (_WHAT?_). He felt grateful that Dobby had done so much for him but also didn't like so much devotion from Dobby – it could have made Dobby ill. The last thing he wanted was another person (or elf) in a bed next to him. After Dobby had retired, Harry finally fell asleep, leaving a wide-awake Tonks and Remus chatting nearby.

"How does he do it?" Tonks asked, her eyes still hadn't left Harry from the time when he had fallen asleep.

"Frankly, I don't have any idea." Remus replied. He was also watching Harry's face which seemed very calm now. "Even James and Lily weren't so selfless." He added. Thinking some more, he added "I think it is due to his upbringing."

"What do you mean? He could never have learned any good lessons from them." Tonks replied with a tinge of anger in her voice. She absolutely hated the Dursley's.

"No. I meant that he knows what it is to lead a difficult life." Remus corrected Tonks chain of thoughts "He learnt all the lessons of life due to the way he was brought up – doing chores, getting beaten, never having a friend…" Remus's voice trailed off in pain. he couldn't bring himself to say anything more.

"Maybe that's what makes him special" Tonks said, understanding what Remus said.

Remus shrugged his shoulders and said "Maybe". They continued to chat about Harry for some more time. Neither Tonks nor Remus knew when they had fallen asleep in their respective chairs while watching Harry sleep.

[][][][]

"Get up, you sleepy heads." Both Remus and Tonks felt a splash of water hitting there faces causing their eyes to open in an instant. Harry was standing in front of them, with an empty glass in each hand, and laughing at their reactions.

"I am going to punch your nose in" Tonks bellowed. Obviously she wasn't a morning person. Remus, on the other hand, just did a drying charm on his face and asked "Did you try to jerk us awake?"

"No. Thought this would be more fun" Harry's eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Always wanted to do this to Dudley" He smiled.

"Then why don't you do that to him?" Tonks asked groggily. "Ouch…" she cried out, pressing the side of her neck. "Damn, why did I have to fall asleep in such a position?" she asked herself aloud. "All I had to do was make a wish and I would have had the best bed in the whole world"

"It comes naturally to you" Remus said with a chuckle.

"What comes naturally to me?" Tonks gave him a questioning look.

"Tonks, you still haven't figured it out, have you? About why it comes naturally to you to forget to make _one_ simple wish." Harry asked with an odd expression on his face.

"Figured out what? What are you talking about?" Tonks asked, thinking about what mess she could have got into this time.

"That your _head_-quarter is empty." Harry chuckled. Remus burst out laughing while Tonks pondered over what Harry had just said.

"Hey you" She said to Remus. "Stop laughing. Anyways, what do you mean Har?" Tonks asked in a serious tone "Why would Grimmauld Place be empty?" This statement had both Remus and Harry rolling on the floor. They were unable to control their body movements any more. Tonks thought about what may have been the cause – and then got it.

"Mr. Potter & Mr. Lupin, I'll get you back to you for this" She bellowed, angry at herself for not understanding what Harry had meant by her _head_-quarter. Both Remus and Harry tried to sober themselves but were thrown into a fit of laughter again at seeing the expression on Tonks's face. "How dare you say that I have no brain?"

"Sorry…sorry" Harry put up his hands in surrender though his face betrayed his real feelings. Remus had also regained some control over himself.

"Ok you guys" Remus was the one who spoke this time "time for breakfast"

At breakfast, Harry asked whether his portkey plan had succeeded or not. He was very happy to learn that it had worked perfectly. Tonks and Remus explained to him that the bullets had been taken out by Dobby and the wounds had been healed by a potion which the room had provided. Remus pointed out the new housing complex of the 4 death-eaters. Harry then explained that he would like to interrogate them after breakfast but Tonks said they should be getting back to the headquarters now (which caused both Harry and Remus to sport huge grins) as they had spent over 3 days here. Harry then explained that they need not worry about being late at their headquarters. He went on to explain that a day passed in this room of his trunk was equivalent to only one hour passed outside.

"You mean that only 3 hours or so have passed in reality?" Tonks asked in disbelieve. Harry, whose mouth was full, gave an affirmative nod. Both Tonks and Remus looked stunned.

"So, that's how you got time to practice, didn't you?" Remus asked, finally getting the answer to the question which had popped up in his mind before.

"Yes" Harry said as he gulped down the last of his orange juice. "Well, we should start the interrogation now" He continued after glancing at the watch. Both Remus and Tonks gave a grim nod and got up from their chairs to proceed towards the end of the room. Once they had come close enough, Harry wished for an interrogation chamber along with phial of Veritaserum. They found themselves in front of a table which had 3 chairs. The room had a light which was focused on the opposite wall of the chamber. Harry took the chair in the middle and was flanked on the left side by Tonks and while Remus sat on his right side. The lighting on the room was such that their faces were covered in darkness. The wall in front of them had magical chains on them.

"Dobby" Harry called. Dobby popped right beside Harry and gulped at the scene which met him. "Would you please stay with us? We may need your help in case a death-eater proves to be too nasty." Harry said. Dobby gulped one more time before nodding. He then went to the farthest corner of the room and made himself invisible – he didn't want to be seen by any bad, dark wizard.

"Summon the prisoner in cell number one and bind him in the chains" Harry said loudly to the room. Promptly, his request was carried out. The prisoner was dazzled in the bright light which was focused on him and instinctively shut his eyes. Harry rose from his chair, took the vial of Veritaserum and went towards the death-eater.

He muttered a spell under his breath which caused the death-eaters mouth to be forced open, much against his wishes. Harry tilted the phial and 3 drops of Veritaserum entered the body of the death-eater. Instantly, his eyes glazed over, indicating that the serum's effect had started. Harry went back to his chair.

"Your name?" Harry asked.

"Albert Verhal" came the reply in a monotonous voice.

"Do you serve Voldemort?" came the next question which caused a shiver in everyone. The death-eater seemed to be afraid of the name, even under the influence of Veritaserum.

"Yes."

"How long?" it was Remus this time.

"For the past month"

"Why did you choose to serve him?" Remus continued.

"He had threatened to kill my family if I didn't join"

"Do you like serving him?" Tonks asked for the first time.

"No" came the prompt reply.

"Where is Voldemort present now?" Harry questioned.

"I don't know"

"Then how do you go to him?" Tonks asked.

"He summons us."

"Can you describe the place where you meet him?" Tonks continued. She was the more experienced of all of them in questioning a prisoner.

"We always meet in a big, dark room. There are no windows present and a snake is always around. It kills anyone who may try to escape." came the reply.

"Nagini?" Harry asked. Both Remus and Tonks's heads snapped round at him.

"Yes. That's the name which the Dark Lord uses to call it."

"What is your lord planning now?" Tonks proceeded with her questions.

"I don't know. I am new to his group"

"Does he have spies anywhere?" Tonks asked knowing the answer fully well.

"He has spies everywhere."

"Even the ministry?" Remus asked.

"Yes"

"Is Fudge a spy or does he work for your lord?" Harry asked.

"No. The dark lord is happy with whatever Fudge does. He doesn't feel the need to recruit such a weak wizard."

"What do you mean that your lord is happy with what Fudge does?" Tonks felt the need for extra clarification.

"Fudge is still ignoring the lord's actions because he is too much of a coward to fight against him. The dark lord is happy that Fudge has given him the time to recruit us. He also wants Fudge to remain the minister as long as possible." Harry smiled inwardly at this. Fudge's time at the office was in Harry's hands now and he knew that Voldemort will have to deal with a new minister soon.

"What does your lord think of Dumbledore?" it was Harry this time.

"He hates Dumbledore" came the reply.

"What does he think of Harry Potter?" Remus asked, continuing in the same groove.

"He wants to kill Harry Potter."

"Do you know why?"

"No."

The questions went on for some minutes more. This death-eater was obviously a new recruit and didn't know much. The next two death-eaters turned out to be new recruits too. One of them had been recruited only a week ago. All of them had been bullied into recruitment. Harry and the other interrogators came to know that Bellatrix and another death-eater (whose name they didn't know) were the closest people to Voldemort. Voldemort trusted them the most and had agreed to their selection of candidates for recruitment. Most of the other recruits had been very happy to have been given the opportunity to serve the dark lord. According to their information, Voldemort had recruited around 90 – 120 death-eaters in the past 6 months. Also, it seemed that Voldemort was back to his full power now and wanted to destroy the Order of Phoenix. All this information unsettled the interrogators. Obviously, everyone had underestimated the reach of Voldemort. He already had an army of death-eaters and now, with his most powerful death-eaters free, he would only grow stronger. At last, the turn for the 4'th death eater came.

"Name?"

"Mathew Macnair" All the 3 interrogators exchanged a look. At last they had someone who was an experienced death-eater.

The interrogation of Macnair went much better than the previous one's. He was one of those who had served Voldemort from the start of his dark era. He knew many things about Voldemort's planned activities. He revealed that Voldemort was planning to steal something – something which would give him an advantage over Dumbledore. But he didn't know what it was. According to him, only 2 persons knew about it – Bellatrix and another death-eater whose name was not known to anyone. This death-eater had recently joined Voldemort's group (_he had supposedly come over from __Bulgaria_) but Voldemort seemed to trust him greatly. Both that death-eater and Bellatrix seemed to be equally powerful and recruitments were made based on their suggestions. The unknown death-eater seemed to have an extensive knowledge about the people of England and seemed to pick up the better wizards for recruitment. Also, Voldemort had said that there would be a second major attack if the attack on Azkaban went ahead smoothly and as planned (_Macnair didn't know the result of the battle_). Harry, Remus and Tonks looked very concerned at this. After each interrogation had been finished, the prisoners were sent back to their cells. After Macnair was sent back, the three interrogators started a serious discussion.

"What should we do now?" Harry asked both Tonks and Remus. Both of them were trying to think of a way to let the others know of this information but they did not want Harry to get into trouble for using portkeys and imprisoning people against their wishes and without any kind of authority.

"We should tell the Order about this." Tonks said finally. Harry and Remus both agreed to this.

"We can tell the Order as soon as Dumbledore returns." Remus added.

"Oops…" Tonks said as she put her hand inside her robe pocket. Remus did the same thing. Both took out a medallion apiece which looked as if it had been lying in a trash can for hundreds of years. One look at the medallion caused Tonks to jump up (_though Harry saw no reason for it. The medallion seemed to look the same to him_).

"Dumbledore's back. Meeting starts as soon as everyone gets there." Harry nodded to both of them as they got up. Even though he would have like them to stay, he knew that their duty was more important. He understood that the medallion was some kind of a communication device and was disguised to look so dirty and worthless.

"You sure it won't be a problem with those guys around?" Remus asked in a concerned voice, his eye towards the cells of the death-eaters.

"No, Dobby and I won't harm them" Harry replied with a smile. Remus gave him a look but said nothing. Harry then led them out of the room and the trunk. Once outside, Tonks gave out a low whistle.

"Wow…it's just 1'st of August here." She was looking at the copy of _The Daily Prophet_ which Hedwig had just brought in. There was no mention about the attack on Azkaban. Obviously, the ministry wanted to keep the report under wraps as long as possible.

"Yup. I had wished for more time in the trunk." Harry replied though he was pretty sure he had explained this before. Tonks seemed to be forgetting the fact that they had been in a trunk rather than in the real world outside.

"And it is 6:30 in the morning" Tonks kept talking as if she had not heard Harry. "I should be in bed now."

"Tonks!!!" Remus said with a warning in his voice.

"OK…OK, got it. Let's go now. Bye Har. Will miss you." Tonks said giving Harry a hug. Harry felt grateful that Tonks would miss him. He was sure that Remus would miss him too though Remus didn't say anything.

"Bye Tonkie" Harry said as they pulled apart. Tonks glared at him for a moment while Remus winked at Harry. Harry was trying to maintain a straight face with great difficulty. Finally Tonks gave up and stomped out bellowing "Let me just get back, scar-head" much to Harry's and Dobby's amusement (_Dobby had followed them up and had finally made himself visible_).

[][][][]

"I see that you have succeeded in your mission very well" the cold voice said. The men and women in front of him were standing with their heads lowered. No one said a word.

"But…" the voice paused, letting the word sink in. Everyone who was there shivered, not from the chill in the air but rather due to the chill in the voice of their lord.

"…it seems our plans didn't work out properly" the red snake-like eyes surveyed everyone closely. "I wonder…how did they know about our plan?" A few of the hooded figures shifted at their places. "And…" Voldemort paused again for the effect "…how did Harry Potter get out of there alive?" his tone was close to a whisper – a deadly whisper which sent shivers down to the bones of everyone present. Still, no one dared to answer.

"I wonder who informed Harry Potter?" the questions kept flowing from the mouth of the dark lord. No one raised their heads. Even Bellatrix and the unknown death-eater kept their mouths shut which was enough indication for the others to remain quite.

"It seems one of our numbers has decided not to come here today." The eyes of Voldemort rested on a vacant place in the circle of death-eaters. "I will have to have a private conversation when Severus comes here."

Harry woke up with a start. He did not know what had caused him to get up from his sleep but he knew that he was sweating profusely. He just had a vision of Voldemort – and Voldemort seemed to be unaware of it. He seemed puzzled at this and couldn't find any explanation. He also remembered that Snape had not been present in the group and Voldemort's private conversation meant some kind of torture. He smiled at this but inwardly hoped that nothing too bad would happen to Snape. After all, no human deserved to be tortured by Voldemort, no matter what they had done.

Shaking a bit, Harry proceeded towards the shower. Tonks and Remus had left for a little under 2 days now (_according to the timeline in the trunk_). He knew that only about 2 hours must have passed and most probably their meeting was still in progress at the headquarters. Harry took a long hot shower and felt a bit refreshed. He got dressed and went to practice for sometime. It was still too early in the morning for him to have breakfast. So, he decided to spend the time doing what he liked best – dueling with his double. He had been dueling for a few hours when Dobby popped in.

"Harry Potter" Dobby said in an anxious voice. Harry's double stopped the duel while Harry turned round to face him. "What is it Dobby?" Harry asked seriously. He had seldom seen Dobby so serious.

"Harry Potter's Tonkie is here…" Dobby paused before continuing "…and doesn't look happy."

"Thank you Dobby. I'll be right there." Harry said, hurrying out of the 5'th compartment and then the trunk.

"Tonks" Harry exclaimed. Tonks was sitting on the corner of his bed. On hearing his voice, she turned to face him.

"Oh Harry…they are so horrible" Tonks was on the verge of crying. Harry stopped her before she could continue and instinctively led her inside his trunk to the 5'th compartment where he knew they would have more time to discuss things.

"Ok. What is it?" Harry was very serious. He knew that unless it was something grave, Tonks wouldn't rush here so soon, and look so disheveled.

"The meeting. We arrived…" Tonks went on to explain everything to Harry. Harry listened quietly, his face turning very grim as Tonks concluded.

"I didn't know what to do so I came here. They never give any value to my words. All I am required for are my metamorphical abilities. I didn't know what to do…I couldn't see Remus being insulted in front of everyone." Tonks started crying as she hugged Harry. Harry quietly held onto her while fuming inwardly. He was really angry with Dumbledore today. After Tonks had sufficiently calmed down, she pulled away and said "Sorry for bothering you like this."

"No sorry in a family, is that understood?" Harry tried to smile but failed miserably. Tonks nodded in reply, her eyes fixed on the floor. Harry glanced at the clock on the wall and said "So, the meeting has proceeded by about 40 seconds by now. I think I can fix it." At Tonks's alarmed look, Harry explained "I won't do anything stupid – don't worry about that." Tonks said nothing. She had come to trust Harry's judgment by now. "Go, wash yourself up quickly and get back to the Order meeting." Tonks headed straight for the bathroom and came back 2 minutes later looking much better.

"C'mon" Harry motioned her to follow him. Once outside, Harry asked her to return to the headquarters for the meeting. Tonks didn't say anything. She didn't want to go back there but followed Harry's advice grudgingly.

After Tonks left, Harry proceeded to do what he had to do – make some people aware of their limits.

[][][][]

The twins had reported what had been happening in the meeting, what Dumbledore had said to Remus and how Tonks had left the meeting. Hermione and Ron exchanged a quick glance before Ron started "How can he say such a thing to Lupin when he has never said anything to Snape?" Hermione nodded in agreement. The twins also went quite. They all knew that Remus was a very mild-mannered gentleman unless they counted his encounter with Molly Weasley (_which all felt was quite a good thing to happen_). All of them looked gloomy when everyone started. The whole house seemed to tremble at the sound of a single person's voice.

"You are right Severus Snape"

"HARRY!!!" All of them jumped out of their seats and rushed downstairs. They rushed into the meeting room, whose door was still open and through which Tonks was just re-entering, and stopped dead in their tracks. In the fireplace, there was the face of Harry Potter – one whose eyes were blazing in anger.

[][][][]

"Harry. How nice of you to join us." Dumbledore said in a very friendly tone.

"I don't…" Harry was interrupted from continuing by Hermione.

"Harry! How are you? We were all so worried." Hermione couldn't prevent herself. Harry turned towards Hermione and the others. He had missed them a lot but he knew that now was not the time to have a nice chat with his friends.

"Hermione, I will talk to you guys later." He turned back towards Dumbledore and said "I have some important things to talk about now." Hermione got the hint and didn't press the matter any further.

"All right you lot, get to your rooms. An Order meeting is going on." Mrs. Weasley over-protectiveness took over. She didn't want her children to hear about the horrors of the war which they were talking about. In the meanwhile, Tonks had got back to her seat. Remus gave her a look meaning 'Did you have to get him into this?'. Tonks just gave an answering look meaning 'Only he can put Dumbledore in his right place'.

"No need Mrs. Weasley, the meeting is temporarily interrupted. It will resume when I am gone." Harry said in an authorative voice. Mrs. Weasley was about to say something in protest when Arthur Weasley placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked annoyed at being overruled but did not say anything.

"You are not the one who has the authority to stop an Order meeting Potter" Snape sneered. "So just get out."

"Snape…"

"Professor Snape, Harry" Dumbledore corrected him. Harry looked at him for a moment before turning to face everybody else.

"First of all, this is not Hogwarts. Secondly, school is not in session. And last but not the least, I am the owner of this house" Harry's tone was very angry. He looked at all those who were present, as if to challenge them from stopping him. "If anyone has any problems with that, THEY CAN GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE." The wave of anger in his voice seemed to rock the whole house. Pin-drop silence followed. Remus was trying his best to put on a fatherly look on his face, which suggested he was angry with his son's behavior, but Harry didn't meet his gaze. Tonks looked quite smug at the proceedings while McGonagall seemed to be shocked. Even the sneer on Snape's face had been replaced by one of true horror when he realized that Dumbledore had not protested against Harry. He quickly regained his composure but not before Harry had seen the expression. Moody was just surveying the whole scenario. There seemed to be no change in his demeanor. The twins were looking at Harry with envy because he had been able to do something which they would have themselves loved to do sometime. Hermione, on the other hand, was appalled beyond speech (_How could someone talk to their professors like that?_). Ron had a look of pure awe on his face while Ginny was happily surveying the other's expressions. She was happy at the effect Harry had over them. Everyone seemed to be in a state of shock at the statement given by Harry.

"Now, as I was saying" Harry had turned to back to Snape "I can do whatever I want to in _my_ house AND if you don't like _my_ being here, then the door is right there…_Snape_" Harry turned to meet the gaze of Dumbledore as he said the name of his Potions professor. Snape was beyond himself with anger. He got up to leave the room when Harry jeered at him "You are leaving just because a 16-year old told you to do so?" This seemed to be the last straw for Snape. He stopped in mid-step and whipped his wand out. Tonks had been ready for something like this and disarmed him immediately.

"ENOUGH" This time the shout came from Dumbledore. He had already heard one of the worst war-reports in his life and the last thing he wanted was infighting between the Order members. His shout made everyone, including Harry, wince. Seldom had people seen Dumbledore lose his cool. There was pin-drop silence in the room for the second time now.

"Severus, if you'll please return to your seat. Miss. Tonks, could you please return his wand" There was no arguing with Dumbledore at this moment. Both did as they were told. Dumbledore then turned to Harry.

"To what do we owe this unexpected appearance from you Harry" Dumbledore's voice was back to his polite best. Harry looked at Dumbledore for a moment and wondered how he managed to change his manners so quickly.

"Tonks came to me." A few heads, including Ginny's, turned towards Tonks. Harry waited for a response from Dumbledore but none came forth. He decided not to back off and remained silent. After about 20 seconds of pure silence, Dumbledore gave in. "And?"

"She told me what happened." Harry's eyes were fixed on Dumbledore now. He wanted to check each and every expression of this old manipulator in front of him. Waiting for a few seconds for the effect to take place, he asked "Is it true?" Harry knew that each and every word Tonks had said was true but he wanted to hear it from Dumbledore's own mouth.

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment, his eyes looked very lifeless now "Is what true?" he asked at last.

"That you insulted Remus?" The air around the house seemed to have frozen. This was the first time someone had _demanded_ an explanation from Dumbledore (_whatever Molly Weasley did was mostly due to her over-protectiveness_). Everyone knew that something real bad was heading their way. This conversation was heading towards a major disaster.

"I did not insult Remus." Remus and Tonks eyes went wide at this statement. Even McGonagall was surprised at this but did not show it while Snape had his sneer back now. He was going to enjoy this _discussion_ between the Headmaster and his favorite pupil. "What I did was to remind him of his limitations." Dumbledore said.

"And who decides _your_ limitations sir?" Harry promptly spat back. Everyone was silent. For the first time, someone had directly challenged Dumbledore's authority. This conversation seemed to be a sequel of first's for Dumbledore.

"Manners Mr. Potter" Professor McGonagall recovered as quickly as she could. "You should be ashamed of yourself for questioning the headmaster like that."

Harry turned to face his transfiguration teacher. "And who should be ashamed of what my life has been? Who should be ashamed of how I was _protected_ over the years?" Professor McGonagall was visibly shaken by this barrage of questions, the second time in the past 2 hours. These were the questions to which no one had any answers. "And who should be ashamed of what happened to Cedric? Who should be ashamed of being responsible for Sirius's death? Why should only I be ashamed of anything?" Harry somehow managed to stop his rambling. Remus and Tonks were both looking at Harry with wide eyes now – he seemed to be taking apart McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall, you have earned my respect as a teacher but please remember that you teach transfiguration and not philosophy. Please understand that people like me _also_ have emotions, even though it may be harder for some of the people here to understand." To say that McGonagall was shocked would be an understatement. She looked at Dumbledore who refused to meet her eyes. Her eyes had become misty but she managed to keep herself under control.

"HARRY" Hermione shouted at him "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO EVERYONE LIKE THAT?" Harry turned his glare towards her which almost made her blood freeze. She almost staggered backwards at the coldness in his eyes. He looked at her for a few moments and then turned away. The last thing he wanted was to shout at his friends.

Turning back towards Dumbledore, he proceeded to repeat his question "Who – decides – your – limitations?" Much to Harry's satisfaction, Dumbledore seemed to be at a loss of words. Finally, he spoke "Harry, I decide my own limitations."

"Then sir, you have crossed your limit today." The sneer on Snape's face grew even wider at hearing this. This was getting better than he had expected. No one moved a bit – no one dared to move. "You know something, you can get respect only if you show others respect but it seems you have been forgetting many things lately," Dumbledore didn't say anything. He had a sad look on his face.

"Sir, you know what you have to do next, don't you? I know you do." Harry kept meeting his gaze. Everyone was looking at the staring contest going on. Remus and Tonks both wondered what Harry wanted Dumbledore to do and how could Dumbledore already know about it. Remus was a bit upset at what Harry was doing. He knew Harry would get into trouble for this at school. Tonks, on the other hand, could not help but felt pleased at Harry's actions. He could really be trusted to take care of _delicate_ issues like these.

After a few minutes silence, in which both Harry and Dumbledore kept staring at each other, Dumbledore finally spoke "You are right Harry." His voice was a bit shaky and he seemed to have aged quite a lot in these past few minutes. Turning back to Remus and Tonks, Dumbledore said "I apologize to both of you for my behavior." Everyone's eyes went wide at this – Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest sorcerers ever was apologizing to two people based on the accusations leveled by a 16-year old kid. The last 12 hours had really been filled with surprises for everyone. Even Snape's sneer was gone now. He had hoped that the relation between these two would sour as they had seemed to be at loggerheads with each other but unfortunately, one of them had given in.

"Thank you sir and I hope the others learn from your decisions." Harry said and his face disappeared from the fire as abruptly as it had appeared for the first time.

[][][][]

Harry had decided to spend the day outside his trunk. He wanted some time off. Also, he had to meet the Minister of Magic today. He knew that this would be very problematic today because of what had happened at Azkaban but hoped that he would be able to make it. At last, after several attempts, he succeeded in fixing an appointment with the minister at 2:00 in the afternoon at the Leaky Cauldron.

Remus and Tonks had arrived at 11:00 in the morning. They updated him on the number of casualties suffered by the Order and the ministry. Harry was very sad to hear it but there was no way he could undo the past. After getting all the updates came the real talk.

"What the hell were you doing today?" Remus seemed quite angry.

"What he did was absolutely right." Tonks jumped to Harry's defense.

"Tonks, I am not saying he did anything wrong today but do you have any idea about what Snape will make him go through at school?" Tonks looked bewildered for a moment. She had never thought of this issue. Now, the more she thought, the more she felt that Remus was right. At last, she spoke. "Harry" Harry looked at her. "What the hell were you doing today?" Tonks bellowed. Harry looked at her, and even though he saw that she was very angry, he burst out laughing. Tonks looked mildly surprised. Her amazement grew when Remus too started grinning.

"Now what?" Tonks asked desperately.

"Tonks. Really…" Harry paused trying to catch his breath. He was opening his mouth again when he started laughing for the second time. Remus had also joined in. Dobby, who had been watching all this, decided to put Tonks out of her misery.

"What Harry Potter is wanting to say is that Tonkie's _head_-quarters is not in existence anymore and she understands everything very late" Tonks looked at him for a moment and then bellowed "You little monster..I'll get you this time" With that, Tonks took off after Dobby, who always kept popping to a few feet ahead of her. Remus and Harry just laughed at their antics.

[][][][]

"What do you want today?" Minister Fudge asked his teenaged _well-wisher_.

"A small favor from you" the boy replied. Fudge's face brightened a bit – he had a bargaining point now. "Fudge – don't even think about bargaining on this." The boy's cold voice interrupted his thoughts. This boy surely knew how to get his work done – he would surely become a great politician one day.

"Ok…what is it?"

"You know a friend of mine" the boy said "in fact, he knows you too." Fudge just kept looking at the boy. Finally, he asked with a bit of apprehension in his voice "Who is it?"

"Harry Potter"

"THAT DAMN KID." Fudge bellowed. His anger faded away as soon as he saw that the stranger had his wand pointed towards him and the wand-tip seemed to have some sparks on the surface. Realizing that the boy had become _very_ angry Fudge said meekly "Oh…Harry Potter…yes…what a lovely boy. Sorry, I mistook him for someone else. Yes Harry Potter…such a nice boy." Harry couldn't help but pity this man sitting in front of him. He understood why Voldemort never tried to recruit him – Fudge was a pure waste of a wizard.

"What can I do to help your friend?" Fudge's voice was very polite now.

"He was seen at Azkaban yesterday night. Is that correct?" the boy asked.

"Yes. He was performing underage magic though we couldn't track him. Don't know how he managed it though. He was also apparating without a license." Fudge replied. He then saw the boy's wand's tip had sparks on it again. The question was asked again.

"Was Harry Potter seen at Azkaban?" Fudge was visibly trembling now. He nodded his head in an affirmative acknowledgement but the sparks on the boy's wand's seemed to have grown larger now.

"Last chance Fudge. Was – Harry – Potter – seen – at – Azkaban?" Fudge looked at the hatred and grim determination on the boy's face and knew that this was indeed his last chance to answer correctly. This boy looked _very_ dangerous to him.

"NO…HARRY POTTER AT AZKABAN? Are you mad?" Fudge managed to say with great difficulty. "He was never seen anywhere close to Azkaban. How could he? He wouldn't even know where Azkaban is."

"Correct answer. I will leave now. You know what to do, right?" Fudge nodded his head in reply thinking of how he would have to take off Harry's name from all the reports and how he would have to convince the ministry auror's that one of his _personal_ men was impersonating Harry.

"You are very co-operative. Have a nice day." With that, a smiling Harry apparated back to 3, Sunshine Villa. He still had some work to do.

[][][][]

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office at Hogwarts and thinking over what he had heard today. He was replaying the events of the Order meeting when a hand appeared in his fireplace and threw something towards him. The hand disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Instinctively, he caught the thing with his left hand while his wand was ready in his right hand. Then he saw that the thing he had caught was a parchment with 4 names written on it along with a short note underneath – _summon them_. He looked over the names once again and did as he had been asked to. Before him lay 4 death-eaters, all stunned. He quickly used his own stunning, anti-summoning and anti-apparation spells and secured them. With a smile on his lips, he wrote 2 notes. The first one was for intimating everyone of an Order meeting the next day at 10:00 in the morning while the second note had just 2 words written on them – _Thank You_.

[][][][]

August 2'nd seemed to be bright and sunny. Harry woke up to find a school owl sitting on the dining table. As soon as he took the note, the owl flew away making it obvious that no answer was required. He quickly read the 2 lettered note and smiled.

"Dobby" Harry called out.

"Yes Harry Potter"

"I would like to have my breakfast now." Harry said with a smile. Dobby popped away as soon as he heard this. Within a minute, Harry was eating a delicious chinese breakfast. In the meantime, Hedwig came in with _The Daily Prophet_ to which Harry had subscribed this year. Harry was about to take another bite from the chinese dish which Dobby had cooked today when his hand, with the fork, stopped in mid-air. His eyes had rested themselves upon the heading of the newspaper which lay in front of him. It read – _Ministry Building Attacked By Death-Eaters_.

[][][][]

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 7'th chapter.

I was just bowled over by the response to the 6'th chapter. I guess you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Everyone loves a bit of action. Hope you like this chapter. If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.

**Confusion Queen** –Harry, Tonks and Remus all have Sirius in common. Hence the close relationship. Hope your teeth's are ok.

**skeeter007** – You have been reviewing from the very beginning of this fic and it is very much appreciated. Glad you liked the 6'th chapter.

**EvilLaughKid **– No money please. If I take even a single penny, I could get sued for millions. And I am not the master fic writer. Surely, there are many people out there who are better than me. And keep the praises down a bit ;)

**Jack-A-Roe** – I am glad too that you continued :).

**Slimpun** – Please turn off your CAPS lock when you post a review. I had thought you were shouting at me. Another thing, I don't remember mentioning Harry as a female. It would be helpful if you could copy 2-3 lines where I made the mistake and post it in your review. It would be a great help.

**csferosha** – Remus and Tonks may or may not become an item. There will be romance but not too much. It is war-time, right? You'll have to continue to know more.

**Be0t** – Harry/Tonks…hmmm…maybe, may not be. Like I said before – it's war-time. Watch out for more.

**Lord** **Pallav** – Thanks for your review. I am an Indian but I would prefer it very much if you left these kinds of questions out of your reviews. Many people may think these are racial reviews.

**And all the other guys who reviewed** – Thanks for your reviews. The reviews of the 6'th chapter were just…'WOW'. Please know that they are very much appreciated and give me a real kick-in-the-back to continue writing.

[][][][]


	8. Ministry & Family

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 8 – Ministry & Family**

Harry was about to take another bite from the chinese dish which Dobby had cooked today when his hand, with the fork, stopped in mid-air. His eyes had rested themselves upon the heading of the newspaper which lay in front of him. It read – _Ministry Building Attacked By Death-Eaters_.

[][][][]

"I can't believe this" Amelia Bones seemed very agitated as she entered the ministry building along with a colleague "2 attacks in 2 days". Her colleague said nothing in return. Her mood was very somber, just like that of every other ministry employee.

"Amelia." Arthur Weasley called out as he was passing her "The minister has called a meeting in his office in 10 minutes time."

"Thank you" Amelia's replied sarcastically. A meeting with Cornelius Fudge was the last bit of news she wanted this morning. A thought came to her and she called back to Arthur who had already gone past her.

"Arthur" Mr. Weasley stopped and turned around. Amelia Bones excused herself from her colleague and went to talk to Mr. Weasley. "Where's Dumbledore?" came a quite question.

"He's with Fudge now" Mr. Weasley had a sad look on his face indicating that this was just a futile exercise. "He's been here ever since he got the news."

Amelia Bones nodded. "Did the Order find any clues?"

"Nothing much" came the reply. "We arrived here just as some ministry aurors arrived. All we found was the Dark Mark inside the lobby area." Amelia Bones shuddered inwardly on hearing this but did not let the expression to show up on her face.

"Any idea on why they attacked the building?" Amelia Bones didn't have a full update on what had happened here and wanted to get her facts right before meeting Fudge.

Arthur Weasley looked at her before giving a shake of his head. "We have no idea. Fudge won't let the Order have access to the whole of the ministry building."

"But no one's stopping you, right?"

"Wrong" Mr. Weasley corrected her. "Fudge knows that I am in the Order. And in any case, only those people who have authorization from Fudge himself can have access to the entire building."

"But…" Amelia Bones looked desperate "…but…what about Dumbledore?" She looked hopefully at Mr. Weasley.

"Don't know about that." Mr. Weasley said hesitantly. "Dumbledore's trying to let him have access but you know how Fudge is…" Mr. Weasley trailed off. Amelia Bones just nodded in reply. Everyone knew that Fudge was very adamant and liked to show off his powers over the ministry, especially in front of Dumbledore.

"Do you know why they attacked twice in 2 days?" Amelia Bones was still having trouble finding an answer to this question.

"It was the best they could do" came a gruff reply from behind her. She turned around to face Moody. Both gave a nod of acknowledgement to each other before Amelia asked "The best they could do?" she looked puzzled.

"C'mon woman, think about it" Moody's voice was like that of a person who was fed up with having to explain the same thing over and over again. "Who would have expected them to attack so soon?" Moody went on as if this question was itself an answer. Amelia looked at him for a moment before understanding – these twin back-to-back attacks were to take the ministry by surprise.

"But why Alastor?" Amelia looked puzzled once again. "Why did they attack the ministry building?" She had always felt safe in her office but after the news of this attack, her feeling of safety had evaporated.

"I think they had a very good reason to be here" came a gentle voice from behind her which she immediately recognized.

"Dumbledore" Amelia said as she spun around as relief washed over her. She looked like a little girl in school who had just read about something new and had a thousand questions going around her mind when her favorite teacher had appeared before her. But before she could ask anything, Dumbledore gave a smile and said "I think it is almost time for your meeting with the minister"

This sentence dashed the hopes of the little school girl. She knew there would be no answers for the time being. She gave a curt nod and excused herself just like Mr. Weasley. Both of them proceeded towards Fudge's office.

"Do you know what he meant?" Amelia didn't look at Mr. Weasley as she asked this. Mr. Weasley thought for a moment before replying "He must have a theory about it". Amelia looked as if she already knew this. As they were nearing their destination, she said "Maybe Fudge let him have access to the whole ministry building". Mr. Weasley didn't comment on this as he looked lost in thought. He seemed to come out of his stupor only when Amelia pushed open the door to Fudge's office and let them inside.

[][][][]

"Ladies and Gentlemen" a bunch of reporters had gathered in the conference room of the ministry building "What I have to say today is not what I would have liked to say." The man paused for a moment knowing fully well that his next statement would cause ripples all over the wizarding world. "The Ministry Building was broken into by You-Know-Who's death-eaters." came the blunt statement. A murmur broke all around. Some reporters dropped their quills while some others let out shrieks.

"Minister Fudge" called out a lady reporter who had previously worked for _The Daily Prophet_ but was now a permanent member of _The Quibbler_ staff. The minister turned to face her "Didn't you-know-who attack the ministry around 2 months ago?"

"You are right. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was himself present during the last attack" Fudge replied.

"What had the ministry done to prevent such attacks any more?" came the question but this time it seemed like an overseas reporter who had asked it.

"The mini…" Fudge had begun when he was cut-off by a reporter.

"HOW CAN WE REMAIN SAFE WHEN THE MINISTRY CANNOT PROTECT ITSELF?" Reporting for the newspapers was the last thing on the mind for many of the reporters now. Reporting would always be there if they were alive or not under the control of the dark lord.

"WHAT ARE THE AURORS PAID FOR?"

"WHERE WERE DUMBLEDORE AND HARRY POTTER?" came another question.

"Yeah. Were they here?" The names Dumbledore and Harry Potter always seemed to give some hope to people much to Fudge's dislike but he knew he would have to tolerate it.

"No, they were not here last night." Fudge replied.

"Did they come to meet you?" asked a reporter from _The Daily Prophet_.

"I had a meeting with Albus Dumbledore today. We have discussed a lot of things and hope to work together against You-Know-Who."

"Why was the ministry building attacked?" Rita Skeeter finally got a chance to ask her question. This question seemed to drain whatever color there was on Fudge's face. He paused for a moment before replying.

"We are still searching the building for clues. We still don't know what their motive was." Fudge replied before adding "Maybe it was a show of strength from their side." He immediately cursed himself under the breath for letting out the last statement. It was sure to cause panic among people.

"SHOW OF STRENGTH?" came a shout from one of the reporters. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? HOW MANY ARE THERE?" A buzz went round the crowds. Everyone seemed shocked that there could be many death-eaters around. Some even looked around to see whether they were in 'safe' company.

"SILENCE PLEASE" Fudge shouted above all others. When everyone had quitened down sufficiently he took a deep breath and said "We have every reason to estimate that there may be around 50 death-eaters around." This was an outright lie. Fudge knew that if he said a 3-digit figure, everyone would be gunning for him to step down then and there. He didn't want to let go of his post, at least not yet when his _well-wisher_ didn't want him to.

"Minister Fudge" Rita Skeeter was able to make herself audible above all others though there seemed to be a bit of apprehension in it "You mean there are around…50 death-eaters along with many others held at Azkaban?"

Fudge's heart skipped a beat at this question. He had always known that this woman was a very dangerous reporter, one who had been on his side for the previous many years but lately, her loyalties seemed to rest someplace else. He hated her for asking this question because he now had to say something about Azkaban. He knew that the twin attacks story would make his position more questionable.

"No." Fudge made his voice as confident as he could. "I meant that there are a total of around 50 death-eaters around."

"So you mean to say that there are around 15 to 25 death-eaters amongst the general public while the rest are at Azkaban, right?" Rita Skeeter was one who always wanted to get her figures correct.

At this moment, Fudge was sure he could have casted a very powerful cruciatus at this Skeeter woman. "No. All the death-eaters are free." An uproar went up in the crowds at this statement. Even the ever-so-composed Rita Skeeter seemed shaken at this announcement. She kept opening and closing her mouth as she desperately tried to get her next question out but no sound came from her throat. Fudge looked around the scene and knew that he would be lambasted in all the newspapers tomorrow. He had to do some damage control and he had to do it NOW but he seemed to be at a loss of how to do it.

"Thank you Minister Fudge" came a voice which had been amplified by the _Sonorous_ charm. Everyone looked around to see a teenaged boy with long hair standing in the back rows. He seemed to be wearing muggle clothing and his hair seemed to fall almost over his eyes – eyes which were shining a deep blue. He looked at everyone and then started approaching the podium. Immediately, many aurors around Fudge raised their wands at the boy but the minister raised his arm to stop them. As the aurors lowered their wands, the boy gave a smile to the minister which caused the minister to shudder. Fudge knew that whatever was coming his way wasn't going to be any good for him, not now when his doctor had just informed him yesterday that his health was not the best due to the mental strain he was going through and not when he was already at a press conference announcing disastrous situations. Followed by the gaze of all of the people present there and also followed by a single gaze which had a deep fear in them, the boy stepped on to the podium and said "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a small announcement to make."

[][][][]

"Did you see what happened at the press conference?" Tonks asked Remus knowing fully well that Remus had followed everything from a distance. "I know that guy." She announced.

"What do you mean by that?" Both of them were seated at their chairs near the fire. It was 9:30 in the morning and the Order meeting was scheduled to begin at 10:00. They had some time before the members started to trickle in.

"It was the same guy who had been in Diagon Alley that day when the three of us…" Tonks voice trailed off at this point. She missed Kingsley very much. He had been her mentor for the final year of her auror training and had taken her under his wings when she had passed out. He had helped her on a lot of things and had even stood up for her when the other aurors picked up on the _newest stumbling kid_ on the block. It was a shame that she had had the privilege to know Kingsley Shacklebolt for only 2 years in her lifespan of 20 years and 10 months.

Remus felt very sad for Tonks. He understood how much she missed Kingsley. "Tonks, we can't help it now, can we?" He said with great concern and sympathy in his voice. "All we can do is to try that there are no more death's in the Order." Tonks nodded her head in understanding though her gaze remained fixed on the ground. "So, this was the same guy who had stunned another one in Diagon Alley?" Remus thought that the change in the subject would help her mood.

"Yes." Tonks said as she wiped a single tear and looked up. She didn't want to think about Kingsley now. "It was the same guy."

"Then why didn't you arrest him?"

"Didn't you see how Fudge let him onto the stage?" Tonks said before adding "Even if I had tried anything, Fudge would surely have stopped me and I would have got kicked out of there."

"Yeah…maybe." Remus knew that a person who didn't believe Dumbledore wouldn't believe an auror, a new one at that.

"But what he did was…" Tonks stopped in mid-sentence as she saw Snape stride in with his trademark sneer in place.

"Did I interrupt a nice tête-à-tête?" Snape smirked. Somehow it seemed that he never liked people having any kind of conversations between them.

"Ahh…Severus…" Tonks spoke before Remus had a chance to say anything "So nice to join us when we were talking about you." She said with a smile. Snape looked at her with narrowed eyes and asked "Talking about me?" Tonks just nodded while Remus thought it was best to remain silent. His relation with Snape was already strained to the utmost point possible.

"What were you talking about me?" Snape felt angry at receiving just a nod for his previous reply. He wasn't used to these kinds of responses to say the least.

Tonks looked at him for a moment and said "Actually, I am getting a bit fed up on my spiky hair…" Remus almost burst out laughing at this as he understood what was going to come. "…and I wanted to have a hairstyle like yours. So, I was asking Remus whether he knew what hair-oil you use" Tonks barely managed to finish her sentence as her insides had already started to complain due to her efforts of trying not to laugh. Remus had burst out laughing now while Snape looked livid and ready to kill. He was about to do something when, thankfully, Mrs. Weasley walked in. She saw Remus trying to control his laughter and Tonks also seemed to be grinning from ear-to-ear.

"WHAT?" she asked looking the two grinning people. Getting no reply, she called out to Tonks. "Can I have a moment with you in private please?" Tonks was rather grateful when she heard Mrs. Weasley's request. She got up and went towards the kitchen without looking at Snape who was staring daggers at her. As she went past him, she passed her hands through her hair as if trying to flatten it. This caused Remus to laugh even more though he successfully managed to steer clear of looking at Snape in the eye.

Once in the kitchen, Tonks came face-to-face with a very concerned looking Molly Weasley and her smiled vanished immediately. She waited for what Molly had to say which didn't take long.

"Do I look weird?" came the question from Mrs. Weasley. Tonks looked puzzled for a moment.

"Why do you ask?" She asked inspecting Molly closely.

"The moment I came in, you two started laughing." Apparently she had thought that they were laughing at her. Tonks realized this and smiled at her.

"No Molly" she explained. "We were just sharing our thoughts with Snape" Molly Weasley looked relieved at this and wondered what _thoughts_ they could be sharing with Snape but thought better not to interfere. She thanked Tonks and went towards the meeting room where the meeting was about to start in a few moments. All the members seemed to have arrived almost simultaneously and had taken their seats quietly. Tonks went up to take the empty seat beside a grinning Remus just as Dumbledore arrived.

"Thank you for assembling as requested" Dumbledore started the proceedings. "These last 2 days have been very distressing to say the least." A murmur of consent went round the table. "I have both good news and bad news and since we have had a terrible experience these past two days, I want to continue in that mood for 2 more minutes." Everyone looked resigned at the moment thinking what bad news was to come their way. "The bad news is that we don't know what happened at the ministry and Cornelius won't let us access to the building. Also…" Dumbledore paused as an uproar went round the table. "Please…" He tried to calm everyone. "As I was saying, Cornelius won't even let us access to any of the information which the ministry officials may have found. This information or probably clues is known to a very select number of people."

"HOW CAN HE DO THAT?" Bill shouted in frustration.

"Bill, ya shoul' take him ter Egypt an put him in a tumb" Hagrid chorused in support.

"I don't know why they have even retained him as the minister" Minerva McGonagall said in agreement with all others. Dumbledore raised his hand to calm everyone down.

"We all know that Cornelius has got every power to do what he wants to do, so it is fruitless for us to waste our time and energy contemplating whether Egypt is a better place than, say, the North Pole" Some people even gave a weak smile at this intended joke but knew that Dumbledore was right in that they didn't have any kind of power to stop Fudge. As the people settled down again, Dumbledore smiled and said "Now the good news – we have some death eaters imprisoned."

"WHAT!!!" Hagrid, Bill and Tonks chorused together though Tonks's case was different from that of the other two since she knew that these death-eaters could have only come from Harry's prison.

"What do you mean Albus?" Minerva McGonagall looked puzzled while the Moody looked on in anticipation.

"What I meant was…" the room fell into silence. No on wanted to miss a single word now. "…that we have 4 death-eaters imprisoned. I have personally secured them in their new prisons."

"But Headmaster, how did you imprison them?" Snape asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "You weren't even there on that day."

"Ahh Severus…that remains one of life's mysteries." Snape looked at Dumbledore in disbelief – the man was not making any sense and Snape hated it when Dumbledore talked in puzzles. "I should say one of our…well-wishers…had the generosity to hand over the death-eaters."

"Who was it?" Bill asked.

"That, Bill, I can't reveal as I myself don't know the true identity of the person." Dumbledore spoke the truth because he had only guessed that the person was Harry and had no real confirmation. Moody however didn't seem to buy the story.

"But Dumbledore, you surely have some idea…" Moody trailed off as his eyes met those of Dumbledore's. He saw the confirmation in them – after all, he hadn't been the ministry's top auror for nothing. He was one who suspected anyone and everyone but this time he had only one prime suspect.

"Alastor, it could have been you…" Dumbledore gave the answer as many heads turned towards Moody who grunted in response. Dumbledore assumed that Moody had guessed correctly since Moody didn't put up any further questions.

"But sir…" this time it was Snape again but he was stopped in mid-sentence as Dumbledore put his hand up.

"Severus, I have the same questions as you but honestly, your guess is as good as mine. I can guess names of people who could have helped us out but I really can't point out any particular person as _the one_." This was a clear signal to everyone to end the issue, which everyone did.

"So Albus, where are the prisoners?" Molly Weasley spoke for the first time. Her reactions to any kind of news in the Order meetings had become much more controlled nowadays.

"I would say that they are at a safe place." Dumbledore didn't want to reveal the location to everyone as it would be quite easy to put someone under the Imperius and get the required information. Molly Weasley understood the hidden message and didn't pursue the question any more.

"Did they reveal anything?" Arthur Weasley was the next one.

"Yes Arthur. But I might add that whatever they revealed was a bit too late." Dumbledore sighed as he finished his answer. Everyone went silent and looked towards Dumbledore who continued "One of them revealed information about an impending attack but couldn't name the time and location."

"Severus, did you have any knowledge about this ministry attack?" Arthur turned towards Snape.

"No. Nowadays the Dark Lord intimates us of the attacks only at the last moment possible. Even then, I didn't go to the ministry yesterday and I have no knowledge of what had happened there." Snape finished, his last sentence putting to rest some of the question which would have come up.

The proceedings went on for about another hour where everyone exchanged opinions and the latest news. It seemed that Voldemort had been spreading his network to other countries in Europe with his first target been Bulgaria. There had not been any attacks in those places and he was carrying out his operations as silently as he could though it was now known to the Order members that Voldemort's army had grown quite a bit. Tonks and Remus were mere spectators for most of the time and they took in as much information as they possibly could. Arthur Weasley informed that the meeting with Fudge had been nothing more than an employee-bashing scene. Tonks informed them that Fudge had made a special team of _his_ most trusted aurors which he had named as HRAF standing for Highest Ranking Auror Force. Even though Fudge didn't know that Tonks was in the Order of Phoenix, she couldn't make it to the HRAF because of she wasn't one of his _trusted_ aurors yet. After all the points had been discussed, Dumbledore called an end to the meeting at nearly 12:00 noon saying that the next meeting may come at any time and that everyone should prepare themselves for anything which might happen nowadays.

"Why did he do that?" Tonks was the first to talk as she and Remus sat down to have lunch.

"Who had to do what?" Remus asked, lost in his own thoughts.

"Harry…hand over the prisoners."

"Maybe…" Remus paused "maybe he thought he had got enough information from them."

"Maybe…" Tonks agreed "I think we should visit him and update him about the ministry news."

"Yeah…you are correct. We'll go in the evening, ok?" Remus asked.

"Afternoon." Tonks replied.

"Evening." Remus said in his don't-argue-with-me voice.

"Afternoon. After we finish lunch." Tonks's voice was like that of a little girl pleading for a toy. Remus looked at her and saw her batting her eyelids furiously while giving him one of her most innocent smiles. Sighing, Remus gave in to her demand.

"Ok. But we come back in the evening." He said with a smile.

"YESSSSSSSSSS SIR"

[][][][]

Harry's spoon clattered down as he dropped it to pick up the newspaper.

**_Ministry_********_Building_****_ Attacked By Death-Eaters_**

_Our special correspondent had just brought the news that the ministry building had been attacked yesterday night or early today morning. It is still unclear whether the attack was carried out by people who are trying to oust Minister Cornelius Fudge or by the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If the attack has indeed been carried out by the dark forces, then this is very troubling news. A lot of questions arise in such a situation – what are the aurors doing nowadays? Is Azkaban well-guarded? Why did the Minister ignore the warnings of Harry Potter and Dumbledore for over a year? But the most important question is – IS CORNELIUS FUDGE THE RIGHT MAN?_

_Since we don't have any confirmation from the ministry officials, we can only hope that the attack was NOT carried out by dark forces. Look up this section for a detailed report on the ministry revelations._

_Page 3: Harry Potter – What People Think About Him_

_Page 4: Dumbledore – Can He Defeat HIM?_

_Page 5: Cornelius Fudge: The Man Who Is The Minister_

Harry went through the article once again before believing what he had read the first time round. "Death eaters at the ministry again? WHY?" Harry thought.

"Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter"

"I will be gone for a while" Dobby saw the concerned look on Harry's face and was about to say something when Harry continued "Don't worry, I am going to a public place. I will be safe." Harry ended with a slight smile which caused Dobby to brighten up a bit. Harry quickly went inside his trunk and got ready. In the meantime, his mind was racing, trying to formulate some kind of a plan. After a few minutes of thinking, he took out a piece of parchment and used one of his self-dictating quills to write down something on it and tucked it in his jeans pocket. When he was sure he was armed for anything which might come his way, he climbed out in his disguised look and apparated near the ministry building. Checking his wizard radar, he found only one thing out of ordinary – a large number of wizards and witches were collected inside a room just adjacent to the ministry building – and one of them was named Rita Skeeter. Obviously, it had to be some kind of press meet for some ministry spokesperson and he knew that it was the best method to get the knowledge which he needed. After all, Rita was one hell of a reporter, no one could argue with that, though she sometimes tended to bend the truth for getting _better_ reports for her paper. But lately, rather ever since she joined _The Quibbler_, she had not said anything which Harry found irritating.

As Harry made his way towards the ministry building, he saw a group of aurors trying to keep the public at bay. He closely looked at the aurors and saw that one of them seemed to have a wound on his left hand. He took out his wizard radar again and saw the name of the man marked as Timothy Dragandula. Confidently, he marched up to him.

"Tim, isn't it?" He asked the auror who looked a bit surprised at being addressed in this manner by a complete stranger.

"Who are you?" Tim asked Harry with narrowed eyes. He seemed to be studying Harry as minutely as possible.

"Oops..where are my manners?" Harry said with an expression of absolute shock in his eyes. "I should pay more attention to what Uncle Fudge says." This comment was loud enough for Tim to hear. Without letting Tim interrupt him, Harry held out his right hand and said "I am Simon Sinatras, nephew of Cornelius Fudge." Tim didn't take Harry's hand and just continued staring at him. Harry knew that Tim wasn't buying his story so he decided to make his main gamble. In a low whisper which was heard only by Tim he said "Uncle Fudge said you did great at the battle of You-Know-Where. He was even talking about a promotion for you." This comment had the desired effect on Tim. None of the local public knew about the battle at Azkaban and so, he guessed, this guy in front of him could be genuine. Also the prospect of hearing about a promotion seemed to light up his face. Slowly but surely, he extended his hand and, at last, took Harry's outstretched hand in his.

"Nice to meet you Simon but I never heard of the minister mentioning of any of his nephews coming here today." Though he was almost convinced that this guy was genuine, his auror instincts had taken took over again.

"Uncle Fudge doesn't know about my coming here." Harry's face looked quite sad now. "He never tells us of the problems he faces in running the ministry." Timothy almost snorted at this which Harry ignored. Fudge doing the hard work in running the ministry was a really amusing thought for everyone. "My mom said I should come here to provide him moral support. I believe he is here, right?" Tim gave a nod in reply.

"Where can I find him?" was Harry's next question. Tim looked to be in thought for a moment and then came to his decision.

"I'll take you to him." He said not wanting to take any kind of risk. Harry just smiled in return, he had got what he wanted. Tim led him straight to a room where many people had assembled and which Harry instantly recognized as the press conference room. Both Tim and Harry settled down at the chairs present in the left hand corner of the room.

"I'll take you to him myself." Tim said once they had settled down. Harry just smiled and said "Don't worry, he'll recognize me as soon as he see's me." Tim said nothing in reply and in a few minutes the press conference started. Harry and Tim both saw that the conference was not going well for the minister, rather, it was becoming a disaster. Harry's mind started racing because he knew that if the proceedings went as they were then would have to make his move. "Well, I guess I have to just wait and hope that I get the right moment to strike" He thought as his lips curled up in a smile as yet another question went hurtling towards Fudge.

"So you mean to say that there are around 15 to 25 death-eaters amongst the general public while the rest are at Azkaban, right?" Harry heard Rita Skeeter's next question.

"No. All the death-eaters are free." Fudge's statement caused an uproar to go up in the crowds. This was it, Harry knew. If he wanted to do something, it was now. Harry quickly cast a _Sonorous_ charm on himself and said "Thank you Minister Fudge" just as he rose from his seat. Everyone looked around to see him while the aurors raised their wands. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a pink-haired auror standing near the exit door of the room. "Damn" Harry thought to himself as he knew Tonks was sure to recognize him but he kept a smile plastered on his face without showing his discomfort. As he started to walk towards the podium, he saw Fudge instructing the aurors to lower their wands. Also, he heard a deep sigh of relief from behind which he guessed was from Tim who had become really tense when Harry got up. Slowly Harry went up to the podium, wearing a smug look mainly because he could see that Fudge was almost trembling in fear, and said "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a small announcement to make."

[][][][]

"It's that guy" Tonks said to herself. She was shocked that he would show up in the ministry building and was sure that this guy would try some kind of assassination attempt on Fudge. It was not a very bad option of getting rid of Fudge but still, she had a duty to perform. Instinctively she raised her wand and was contemplating on what spell to perform when, to her utmost surprise, she saw the minister raise his hand.

"DAMN" she swore loud enough for a few people nearby to hear her. "The minister knows this guy? Now I won't be able to even touch him." she muttered to herself as she understood that there was nothing more to do but stand and watch what was going to happen and hope that this guy had come to kill Fudge.

[][][][]

"Who are you?" Rita Skeeter was one who never liked to stay behind someone. She always had to be the first and she had been the first in questioning this boy.

"I am Simon Sinatras but I think my identity is of lesser importance than what I am about to say." Harry said with a smile. "What I wanted to say here is…that I am extremely grateful to Minister Cornelius Fudge for doing a great task of protecting the common people." Fudge hated this boy more than ever before as it became apparent to him that he was going to make some sarcastic statements before getting down to the real statements – statements about him and Malfoy.

"Mr. Simon, this is not the place for a kid making some stupid statements." Said the sarcastic voice of the top reporter of _The Quibbler_.

"Maybe, but there are many things that I know which you don't." The warmth of the smile had vanished by now. "Do you know that if it weren't for this man here, then we would have had over 100 death-eaters running all over England at this time?" Fudge looked shocked at this statement. He had already started contemplating on which door would be the closest one to run for IF the situation called for it when, out of the blue, his _well-wisher_ had just praised him. For a moment, he even felt grateful to this guy but his feeling vanished when he remembered all the money which he had transferred over to this boy's vault. He looked over at the reporters and saw that many were shocked while others looked simply curious but what he knew for sure was that the level of his bashing in tomorrows newspapers had just been reduced. Slowly, the color seemed to come back to his cheeks as he gave one of his renowned smiles towards the boy.

"WHAT?" some of the reporters screamed at the same time along with a few of the aurors in the back (including Tonks) all of whom, thankfully, had not been heard by Fudge.****

"Yes. If Minister Fudge had not reacted promptly to the threat at Azkaban, no death-eater would have been killed. A total of 70 death-eaters had attacked Azkaban out of which only 29 managed to live. They escaped with the prisoners." Harry was hating himself for every lie which he was telling but he knew that all of this was for the greater good, the line which he had heard Dumbledore say many times. He saw that Fudge looked quite happy with the scenario and knew it was time to put his new plan into action.

Rita Skeeter was not at all convinced "But how do you know all this?"

"Excuse me for a minute." Harry said to the chorus of protests. "I have an urgent private message for the Minister and will join you in 2 minutes time." Without waiting for an answer, Harry went towards Fudge and asked him to lead him to a room where they could talk privately.

"What a nice day." Harry said in a mocking voice as they entered into the room into which Fudge led him.

"What do you want this time?" Fudge came straight to the point.

"Ah Fudge, I like this attitude of yours. You don't waste any time, do you?" Fudge patiently waited for Harry to continue as he knew it very well that this was a one-sided game. "Ok…this is it." Harry showed him the piece of parchment which he had written with one of the self-dictating quills he had bought from Diagon Alley some weeks before. The last thing he wanted to happen was Fudge finding out his identity with the help of his handwriting, a method which wasn't too frequent in the wizarding world but still a possible threat. "Below are the instructions given and I want this done in 2 minutes flat."

"But I can't do this." Fudge looked desperate though Harry knew that it was another one of his well-rehearsed looks. "This is against the law."

"Do you want me to go out there and tell them how many laws _you_ have already broken?" Harry's tone took a menacing as he pointed out the tip of some parchments (_all of which were blank_) jutting out of his left pant pocket. Fudge went pale and said "This will be done tomorrow."

"Ok…and the press will learn about your truth today." Harry started to leave the room when Fudge's shout stopped him.

"Ok…I will do it today." Fudge had no other way out and he knew that only too well.

"Not today…" Harry felt it irritating to have to go over his threats and the same kinds of negotiations over and over again. "…NOW. I will be holding the press here for 2 more minutes while you come back to me with the news that everything has been done. If you don't come back in 2 minutes then…" Harry's voice trailed off as Fudge gulped. Harry couldn't quite remember the occasion when he had started to love to torture Fudge in this way but he surely didn't want to miss out on any single opportunity nowadays.

"Ok…Ok…I am going to do it." Fudge said as he rushed out towards his room.

"Oh Fudge…" Fudge turned to see what more may be coming his way. "…Your time starts NOW." At this announcement, Fudge took off towards his office at full speed leaving quite a few ministry officials wondering what had got into him and how come he had the energy to run so fast.

"Sorry for making you people wait" Harry looked pleased when he returned to the conference room. "Oh you asked me how I know about so many things Ms…" Harry said with one of his most disarming smiles. Even Tonks, who was still contemplating whether to kill this guy or not (_for saving Fudge_), couldn't help becoming impressed with the manner in which Harry said the last sentence added to the fact that when he smiled, he looked quite charming.

"Rita Skeeter" Rita Skeeter said with a smile on her lips.

"Ahh…I have heard so much about you. It's a pleasure meeting such a wonderful lady in person." Even Harry was puzzled at how smoothly he could say all this but nowadays, he felt a calm within himself. A year ago, he had butterflies in his stomach while even thinking of going out with Cho (_which ultimately was a disaster_) and here he was, in the full view of a horde of reporters and aurors, on the verge of what many people would term as flirting – that too with an older woman. Rita Skeeter's response was a disarming smile – apparently, she could also play this game and Harry knew it very well that she was a veteran of many such battles. "Well, Ms. Skeeter, I know all this because it is my job to know all this. But if you don't have any faith in my comments, you can ask the aurors present here." Harry knew that this was another gamble but a very well calculated one. He knew that no auror of the ministry would like to lose his or her job just to clarify the truth to Skeeter and even if someone wanted to tell the truth, that person would be far outnumbered by the others. Harry felt bad about bringing the aurors into the scene but he reminded himself of the motto of a great man – it's all for the greater good.

"Anyone who thinks I am lying please say so now." Harry looked over at the aurors present who were all looking daggers at him. His eyes paused for a moment on Tonks before he moved on. "Look, they all agree with me. What else can I say?" Harry had a helpless expression on his face. Just then, Fudge came running in, much to the amazement of all the people present. Harry glanced at his watch to see that 2 seconds were still left and was happy to see that Fudge nodded his head in an affirmative gesture – everything had been done according to his demands.

"Minister Fudge, I think you have something to give me." Harry held out his hand as Fudge thrust the parchment into his hand. Harry looked casually at the parchment and noticed that there was a ministry seal on it beneath the word 'Approved'.

"I have the pleasure of making one more announcement before I go" Harry said as he acted as if he was reading something from the parchment. "Minister Fudge has announced a reward of 100 galleons to each of the light wizards who fought against the death-eaters at Azkaban along with an additional amount of 1000 galleons of those who were injured in the fight. An amount of 5000 galleons will be given to families or the closest kin of each of the deceased aurors. Isn't this a touching gesture from our minister?" Harry said to a round of applause from many people and ALL the aurors. Somehow, the aurors guessed that this was another one of the series of lies which this boy had said today but they were more than happy with it since almost everyone had some kind of a minor injury to remind themselves of the Battle of Azkaban. This was added to the fact that the announcement had been made in front of about 25 reporters from various newspapers of various countries and hence there was no way they wouldn't be getting this _reward_. Harry smiled at all those who were present and received huge smiles in return from many of the aurors. Even Rita Skeeter flashed a big smile at Harry as she knew that she had a wonderful story ready for her paper – and she also knew just whose exclusive interview would top all of it. On the other hand, Fudge looked stunned and just kept staring as Harry who, after pocketing the parchment, got down from the podium and started to make his way out. At last Fudge breathed a sign of relief as Harry reached the exit but – to his utter horror – stopped and turned around.

"Sorry people but I forgot to say one thing…" the reporters who were starting to pack up their things stopped dead in their tracks as they waited for the 'next announcement'. "…did I mention the fact that Minister Fudge has already arranged for the payments of all these awards…" Harry waited for a moment before continuing "…from his own personal account as a donation for the fight of the light wizards."

[][][][]

Tonks stood dumbfounded at the last statement made by this young man. Looking around, she saw she was not the only one, all the aurors present were looking at each other, searching for the right words to express their feelings. Another round of applause broke out as everyone seemed quite happy with whatever the boy had done for them. Even Tonks began to doubt whether this boy was really a bad guy as she had earlier presumed. As soon as she recovered from her shock, she ran outside to seek out the boy. She saw that he was about 80 meters ahead of her and she took of at full pace. Finally, she caught up with him.

"Hey…who are you?" Tonks said as soon as she had regained her breath. The boy had stopped when he had heard the sound of footsteps behind him but he had taken the precaution of putting up his glove-shield in case the auror tried to hex him. He had also noticed that he had just crossed the perimeter of the anti-apparation wards around the ministry building.

"A friend" came the reply accompanied by a charming smile as he apparated away leaving a baffled Tonks behind.

[][][][]

"What the hell?" Fudge was too stunned to think about anything else. His so-called _well-wisher_ had just made him poorer by around 100,000 galleons more. Even though it didn't make quite big dent on Fudge's bank balance, he hated it when his money was spent unnecessarily and he hated this boy though he had no power whatsoever to harm him. Mentally, he decided to co-operate as much as possible with his _well-wisher_ so as not to end up with an empty account at Gringotts. With great difficulty, he silently cursed that damn boy while giving a trademark smile as the reporters took his photographs and as other aurors came up to thank him. At least, this boy had ensured him some good press for the next day.

[][][][]

"Dobby" Harry called out as soon as he reached his home. It was about 9:15 in the morning and he already had had a hectic morning.

"Yes Harry Potter" Dobby said as soon as he popped by his side.

"I am going into my trunk to practice. If something happens, please notify me, ok?" Dobby gave an affirmative reply as Harry vanished into his trunk.

The next two days in the trunk were very fruitful for Harry. He had been able to hold out on 4 opponents for close to two hours and had even managed to take two of his opponents down. It was a shame that the room immediately provided replacements otherwise Harry could have had a chance to defeat his quadruplicates. Also, his meditation had been proceeding very nicely. Nowadays, he felt a strange calm inside him whenever he was doing something. Once he even asked the room to provide a duplicate of Draco Malfoy so that he could test out his resistance to Malfoy's insults. It had taken Malfoy's duplicate a total of 18 minutes and 23 seconds of constant abusing before Harry finally reacted by hurling a reductor curse at him. He now felt he was ready to begin his second part of his mental training – that of Legilimency. He spent the third day reading books on Legilimency to get a grasp of the basics. After he had read a lot (_according to himself_), he started working on something which had been at the back of his mind for long but which he had consciously avoided all this time – conjuring objects. Somehow, Harry found that this was something which was taking him longer to get hold of but he reconciled himself with it – after all, he already had the gifts of being a natural flyer, a parselmouth and a metamorphmagus. How many things could one hope to get for free? He was well into his fourth day when Dobby appeared before him.

"Harry Potter. Your Tonkie and Werewolf are here." Dobby said as Harry thanked him. Quickly, Harry closed his books which he was studying and came out to meet the two of his most favorite people.

"HARRY" Tonks jumped on him, causing both of them to fall on the ground.

"Ouch…" Harry shouted as Tonks got up, murmuring something under her breath. Remus, who looked quite amused, helped Harry up.

"Tonks" Tonks looked at Harry, wondering whether he had got hurt because of her "How much do you weigh?" Tonks gave him a mock glare and playfully slapped him on his arm.

"Manners Mr. Potter" she said in a tone much like that of Harry's headmistress causing all of them to have a good laugh.

"How are you…" Remus had just started to talk when Tonks got hold of Harry and started pushing him towards the trunk.

"What the…" Harry just managed to blurt out these words as Tonks pushed him to the front of the trunk.

"Lets go inside and talk" Tonks said in a cheery voice. Harry looked at the two of them and gave a shrug – he was going to be having guests for some days now which fitted very nicely into his plans.

Once inside, Remus was the first one to speak out "So, that's why you wanted to come here for some hours?" The question was obviously directed towards Tonks.

"Of course, but it seems that werewolves find it a bit difficult to understand the most obvious things." Tonks said with a sneer which reminded Harry of his least favourite professor. All of them had a good laugh again but not before Remus gave a glare and bared his teeth in an aggressive gesture directed at the others.

"Did you two ever grow up?"

"Nope" came the prompt reply from Tonks who immediately changed herself to look like a 15 year old before changing back again.

"Me, grow up? How dare you ask a marauder to ever grow up?" Remus looked very offended at being asked such an 'abusive' question.

"OK…No offence meant." Harry put up both his hands in surrender. To everybody's amusement, the room of requirements even provided a white flag near Harry. "Can someone update me on the ministry event?" Though Harry knew about the minister's version of things, he desperately wanted to know what information the Order had been able to get. Remus updated Harry on what had happened and how much they knew while Tonks started to wander around the room, wishing for different objects and firing curses to blast them off. She even wished for a replica of the Knight Bus and fired a very powerful Reductor curse which blasted a hole from one end of the bus to the other.

"Satisfied now?" Harry called out as Remus finished telling Harry about the Order meeting. Tonks turned around with a big grin on her face which told the whole story.

"Hey Remu, did you tell him what happened at the ministry building?" Tonks asked as she walked over towards the other two. A comfortable rocking chair appeared as soon as she was close enough to both of them.

"No Tonkie" Remus looked a bit angry at his shortened name but what surprised him was that Tonks didn't seemed offended at being called Tonkie.

"What about the ministry?" Harry asked innocently, knowing fully well what had happened. Tonks told him the full story, including what she had seen in Diagon Alley. When she finished, Harry asked her happily "So, you both are richer by around 1100 galleons, right? When are you giving a party?"

"Party?" Remus asked. "Yeah. How can you not give one?" Harry responded.

"Har, shouldn't you get 1100 galleons as well?" Tonks seemed thoughtful.

"Nah…I already have enough money to feed all of England for a year."

"How about the first Hogsmead meet?" Remus asked brightly and Tonks seemed to agree as well.

"OK. So it is fixed" Harry agreed "On the first Hogsmead meet, I will go to a party thrown by a werewolf and a klutz." This was a big mistake which Harry made as two Jelly-Legs curse hit him instantly. He was lucky that he was wearing his dragon hide boots but even it couldn't fully stop the curses. He felt a slight tingle which went away rather quickly.

"That, my dear mighty Potter, is why you shouldn't bite more than you can chew." Tonks said to a grin and a nod from Remus.

"Yes Harry. You should make it a point to only pick on Tonks, not the both of…" Remus couldn't finish his sentence as he was hit with a Jelly-Legs curse this time around. Harry and Tonks had a good laugh while Remus finally managed to perform the counter curse. After chatting for a few more hours, Harry excused himself to prepare dinner for everyone. The room had already redesigned itself into that of a big house with a big kitchen, 3 bedrooms, a drawing room and a dining room. Soon, everyone, including Dobby, was seated around the dining table, having a wonderful oriental dish for dinner.

"Harry…" Tonks said as she took another bite from an oriental dish which Harry had prepared "…once you defeat You-Know-Who, you can work as a chef in a 5 star hotel."

"Thank you for your compliment, my lady." Harry said, giving a low bow. "It is the most appropriate job for a person who would save the world."

"I am serious…" Tonks put on a serious look on her face, but the expression suddenly changed "Hey…I forgot to tell you about that guy."

"Which guy? The one at the ministry today?" Tonks nodded in affirmative gesture as she gulped down some lemonade.

"You know what, he was flirting with Rita Skeeter." She looked quite glum as she said this but Remus was muttering something like '…girl gossip…" under his breath.

"So?" Harry raised his left eyebrow "Rita is quite attractive after all"

"Yeah…but she is over 30. I bet that guy couldn't have been more than 17 or 18 years old." Tonks explained to both of them.

"But why is this bothering you?" Remus asked.

"Maybe our dear Tonks developed a crush on him." Harry said playfully before adding "Remu, did you notice how minutely she described him to us?" Tonks blushed deeply and muttered "It's nothing like that." Seeing Tonks discomfort Harry let the topic drop because he knew that this discussion could lead to some unwanted questions – and answers. Soon Harry explained that he had decided to hand over the death-eaters to Dumbledore because he thought they had spilled whatever they knew (_It was Tonks who brought up the topic_). After finishing their dinner, all of them went into their respective rooms with only Harry staying up for his meditation.

[][][][]

"What's that noise?" Tonks thought to herself as she opened the door of her room. It was just past 7:00 in the morning and, according to her, the whole world should be soundly sleeping at this 'odd' hour. The previous night had been one of the worst in her life as she kept waking from nightmares where Voldemort was killing Harry. She understood a little bit of what Harry usually went through when he saw Voldemort hurting people in reality – it had been quite painful for her even if she knew she had a nightmare. She didn't know why she felt so drained after her third straight nightmare, it was as if someone was taking away her own life force. At last, at 6:00 in the morning, she decided that she didn't want to sleep anymore. She spent a lot of time thinking about how it was between her and Remus and Harry. She knew that all of them got along really great and nothing would come between them. Her thoughts wandered to how it would have been if Sirius had been around but she felt very sad about it. She also thought of how her mom and dad may be doing nowadays but broke out of her thoughts soon. Finally, at 7:00 in the morning, she got dressed and opened the door of her room, only to hear sounds from outside. She stepped out to find Remus standing in front of her, staring at something. Following his gaze, she saw not one, not two but five Harry Potters in front of her. At first she thought she was dreaming and rubbed her eyes but no, not even one of them vanished as they seemed to move at frightening speeds as they attacked each other.

"Wait a minute…" Tonks said to herself before turning to Remus "Remu, am I seeing things or are 5 Harry's fighting each other or are 4 Harry's attacking one?"

"4 to 1…shhhh" Remus quickly answered here without taking his eyes off the duel in front of him.

"How long has this been going on?" Tonks asked as the REAL Harry slided along the floor, shooting rapid fire curses at the others. One of the 4 others seemed to be hit and fell down (_this time the room didn't replace the downed Harry because the real one had wished it not to._).

"Don't know. I have been here for only 30 minutes" Remus said as he didn't know that this was going well over an hour now though Tonks wasn't listening to him as she saw the REAL Harry summoning the downed Harry just in time to shield his body from 3 curses heading his way. This was almost similar to the move he had done against Bellatrix. Tonks and Remus kept on watching for 10 more minutes before a curse hit the REAL Harry on his shoulder from where blood started to ooze out. Tonks gave a scream at this and rushed towards the scene, firing off curses at the other Harry's.

"Tonks!!!" The real one gave a shout as the others vanished in thin air "No need to panic, they don't hurt me."

"You can say that again" Tonks looked livid as she grabbed Harry's shoulder causing him to scream out in pain. "Ohh…sorry" came the timid apology.

"Don't worry, I'll be all right." Harry removed his robe to reveal a bleeding left shoulder. He was wearing a black jeans while his white tee-shirt seemed to have become smudged in blood. This particular tee shirt had a lot of red stains on it, almost anywhere and everywhere.

"What the hell?" Tonks shouted at Harry while Remus, who had a concerned look on his face, asked quitely "Harry, do you do this kind of thing often?"

"Hey you guys…what's the matter with you?" Harry said as he performed a healing charm on his shoulder and another charm to clean up the blood smudge as best as he could. "Look, it's gone." He thought this would help lighten up their moods but one look on their faces confirmed his worst fears right now. Tonks gave him a despairing look as she turned and stomped away to her room while Remus shook his head.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard, you know that?"

"Remus, look on the bright side – if I work hard for these few days, I might live to enjoy my whole life." Remus knew this was true but he still felt that Harry was unnecessarily pushing himself to the limit. He just shrugged his shoulders and headed towards his own room. But Remus was not his main problem now, it was Tonks and Harry looked quite worried as he realized this. Harry knew that Tonks was really upset with him (_she was never one who would have left without a comment unless it had had a really grave impact on her_) and knew that he had to do something about it.

"Tonks…" Harry called out slowly as he knocked on the door of Tonks room. Getting no answer and finding the door open, he slowly entered inside to find Tonks, who was sitting on a chair and…weeping. "Tonks" Harry rushed to her; never in his dreams did he imagine that Tonks would react like this. Tonks quickly brushed off her tears as Harry sat down in front of her. "I am sorry" Harry whispered. He didn't know what else he could say to her but he knew that somehow, he had hurt her deeply. "I really didn't want to hurt your feelings." He still got no response from Tonks as she kept looking at her feet. He continued in his whispering tone "hey…please forgive me. I don't do this quite often but you know I have to do it, right?" Still no response – but Harry decided to continue the one-way dialogue. "Please tell me what is wrong? You didn't react like this even after I got injured in Azkaban. Please Tonkie…" Harry had come to like this name by now.

"Oh Harry" Tonks burst into tears as she hugged him; she couldn't control herself any longer. She wept like there was no tomorrow and Harry somehow knew he had to hold onto her to provide her some kind of support. After about a minute, Tonks finally was able to stop her flow of tears and broke away from Harry. "I..I…" Her words were interrupted by hiccups which was soon taken care of as a glass of water appeared on a table near her right hand. "I am sorry" this apology came from Tonks which surprised Harry to a great extent.

"Tonkie, I am sorry for what happened." Harry whispered as Tonks wiped her face clean. "I did not…"

"No Harry" Tonks cut in "I understand what you are doing is the right thing but…"

"But what?" Getting no response from her, Harry continued "Do you want to talk about something?" After a long moment of silence, Tonks explained her nightmares to Harry.

"Oh Harry…the moment I saw one of _them_ hit you…and the…the blood…I thought…" Tonks voice trailed off as a single tear escaped the clutches of her eyes.

"…that I was going to die." Harry finished off which earned him a slow nod from Tonks. "Tonks, you are a brave girl. You shouldn't be acting like this. And this is war, you know that, don't you?" Getting no reply Harry continued "But hey…I am alive and kicking." He said brightly but couldn't brighten up Tonks. He knew he had to somehow cheer her up, but how? All of a sudden, an idea came to his mind "OK, close your eyes, will you?" He asked Tonks.

"Why?" Tonks's curiosity got the better of her.

"Just do it…please…" Harry pleaded. Tonks did as she was told while Harry concentrated on one of his favorite memories ever.

"OK. Open your eyes." Harry announced. Tonks did so and the next moment she was howling in laughter. She was laughing so hard that she fell off her chair (_the room provided a cushioned landing place for her_) and she clutched her stomach which had already started to cause her pain because of her effort. She gasped for breath but one more look at the person before her caused her to double up in laughter again – in front of her stood Severus Snape in the dress of Neville's grandmother. By this time Remus had also come to see what the commotion was all about and he too doubled up in laughter. Finally, after about 5 minutes, Harry returned back to his normal form and Tonks forced him to tell the story of how he had dressed up Snape like that. Another bout of laughter followed after Harry had finished his story of Remus's class related to Boggarts.

"Hey" Remus was the one to get his breath back first "You never mentioned that you were a metamorphmagus." Remus seemed quite impressed at finding out Harry's new ability.

"Oops…Sorry Remu, I just thought Tonks had told you." Seeing Tonks discomfort Harry explained "It was almost accidental. I never even knew about it until Tonks explained it to me. We are both sorry."

"No sorry's in a family, right?" Remus told to both Harry and Tonks who looked relieved. A smile broke out on everyone's face and they were then treated to a delicious breakfast by Dobby.

[][][][]

"How come Harry gets to do whatever he wants to?" Ron asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "He even got to shout at Snape while we were mere bystanders."

Hermione, on the other hand, seemed very thoughtful "Did you see the expression in his eyes?"

"What expression?" Ron looked bewildered. Ginny, on the other hand, replied "Yes. He seemed very confident about whatever he was doing."

"Yes, that's true but…" Hermione trailed off thoughtfully. Ginny, on the other hand continued "But why did he come just because Tonks asked him to?"

"Gin, Tonks didn't ask him to come" Fred said confidently as he and George entered the room. It was past 8:00 in the evening and they had just returned after closing their shop on another profitable day.

"How can you say that?" Ron asked in a reflex. Fred and George exchanged a look before George said "Ron, when have you _ever_ seen Harry do anything he was told to do?"

"He attended all the classes over the past 5 years" Ron replied.

"George, how come our brother is so dumb?" Fred asked. "Is he dumb or were we speaking some other language?" George queried back. Hermione put them out of their misery of having to explain to Ron.

"Ron, Harry came here yesterday because _he_ decided to come. No one can make him do anything…other than attend classes, that is." Ron looked at Hermione and opened his mouth to say something but then had the good sense to shut up for the time being.

"But he could at least have stayed behind to talk to us." Ginny protested. Hermione couldn't help but agree "He could have…if he wanted to."

[][][][]

"Nice to see you Potter" Mad-Eye Moody greeted Harry at a deserted lane in London. It was the 4'th of August and it had been over a day and a half since he had been last visited by Remus and Tonks. Both of them had come back to visit him again on the 2'nd of august and had stayed for around 3 days in the trunk during which Tonks and Remus had helped out Harry with the basics of conjuring up objects. Tonks had explained that conjuring up objects was much more like being a metamorphmagus – one had to visualize a object mentally to be able to conjure it up. This seemed to help Harry a lot since his metal visualization had become quite good with the long hours he had spent on meditation but he was still having a lot of problems with conjuring up an object. Later when they were leaving, Harry had promised both of them that the next time they came around (which was supposed to be in 2-3 days time), they would find that he was able to conjure up some simple objects. The next day, i.e. on the 3'rd of August, Harry had carefully planned out his next move and had fixed his appointment with Moody but not before he had found a secure place and had warded it off so that no unwanted trespassers crossed this place. He had also spent a couple of days in the trunk making some portkeys needed for successfully carrying out his plan. Today, he had come early here and had waited under his invisibility cloak for Moody to arrive. After his wizard radar confirmed that this was indeed the real Moody coming along, he had been able to relax a bit under his cloak. He finally pulled off his cloak when Moody had entered into the protected area (_which had been also warded off to be invisible for a period of an hour_) and had greeted him. "Seems like you have both buttocks still in place." Harry gave a small smile at Moody's comment as he folded up his father's cloak.

"So, why did you call me here?" Moody came straight down to business. Harry then explained his plan to Moody who looked a bit hesitant at first but agreed finally.

"You'll have to do quite a bit of explaining." Harry warned Moody who just gave a scowl in return. "Best of luck." Harry said as he apparated away.

[][][][]

"RON…GINNY…" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed all over 12, Grimmauld Place. The Weasleys had shifted to the headquarters yesterday, i.e., the 4'th of august, and were planning to stay here till the 1'st of Spetember. "The first morning here and no one's in sight." Mrs. Weasley looked very angry as she started climbing the stairs to the 1'st floor of the house. She opened the door to Ron's room and saw that it was empty but what made her gasp was the fact that it hadn't been slept in. Panicking, she went to the rooms of Hermione and Ginny and found that their beds had also been not slept in.

"ARTHUR WEASLEY'S OFFICE" Mrs. Weasley screamed into the floo. As soon as her husband's office came into view, she started crying and explained that none of their children were at home. Arthur Weasley promised that he will be back home in 5 minutes time in which he would have to explain to Fudge why he was leaving office within 10 minutes of entering. Mr. Weasley did better than he had promised; he had come back in 4 minutes only to find a weeping Molly Weasley sitting at the dining table with what looked like a parchment in her hand.

"Molly" Mr. Weasley rushed to her. "Did you find them?"

In between crying and hiccupping, Molly Weasley managed to thrust the parchment in her husband's hands "They…left this…uh…at the dining…table." Taking the parchment, Mr. Weasley found that it was a letter from Ron.

_Dear Mom,_

_We are going over to Harry's place for the time being. Don't worry about our safety. We will call by floo tonight to let you know we are safe. Fred and George will also come over tonight to Harry's place. If you want to send us a message, you can send it through them. Ginny and Hermione are also coming with me. Don't be angry mom, Harry said he had some urgent thing to discuss. Don't worry about our safety AND don't try to find us because you won't be able to even if you tried. Remember how Dumbledore failed to trace Harry? Well, talk to you tonight._

_Bye,_

_Ron._

_p.s.___

_Mom, we'll be safe. – Ginny._

_Mrs. Weasley, please don't inform my parents now. I will myself talk to them. And please don't worry, I and Ginny will take care of Ron. Bye. – Hermione._

[][][][]

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 8'th chapter. I am sorry it is a week late but I was really busy at my office.

Hope you like this chapter. If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.

**skeeter007** – Tonks will have her turns too. Payback time is slowly starting now.

**grand**** griffon** – Firstly, thanks for pointing out my mistake of making Harry turn into Malfoy in chapter 4 under the assumption that he was Malfoy when he took the polyjuice potion. I have rectified that part in chapter 4 though Harry still turns into Malfoy when he is concentrating. Just twisted the thing a bit :).

As to why Harry would care about Hermione's feeling of jealousy – Well, Harry has made it a point to distance himself from his friends physically but that doesn't mean that he can distance himself from them mentally. After all, no one can expect someone to forget their friends so soon. Harry will continue to care for his friends but he won't be too open to them.

As for the pistol, hope you read the chapter 6 :).

**Be0t** – I think you have made a BIG mistake. I hope you know that there are different kinds of Indians in this world – one are the Indians who are the native people of America and the other Indians are those who live in India, which is in Asia. Another kind of Indians are those who live in West Indies and are referred to as West Indians. Well, I live in India and we never had intermarriages to expand our population. Please get your facts right before you post these kinds of comments in your reviews which I strongly dislike.

**MaxFic** – All death-eaters, who were not held by anti-apparation wards, escaped.

**C. Rose** – Hope you won't find any more 'common' ideas anymore.

**BytheBorg** – I doubt whether you will be reading this but I really think you did a great thing by reviewing – at least, you wrote something for fanfic after all. Oh, for your 'trouble accepting this garbage', I can't help it. I have a knack of creating trouble :).

**And all the other guys who reviewed** – Thanks for your reviews. Please know that they are very much appreciated and give me a real kick-in-the-back to continue writing.

[][][][]


	9. Plans & Relations

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 9 – Plans & Relations**

_…Don't worry about our safety AND don't try to find us because you won't be able to even if you tried. Remember how Dumbledore failed to trace Harry? Well, talk to you tonight._

_Bye,_

_Ron._

_p.s._

_Mom, we'll be safe. – Ginny._

_Mrs. Weasley, please don't inform my parents now. I will myself talk to them. And please don't worry, I and Ginny will take care of Ron. Bye. – Hermione._

[][][][]

"Where are we" Ginny was the first one to speak out while Ron and Hermione seemed to be surveying the place. They seemed to be in a large empty room with only a few chairs near a bright cozy fire.

"No idea" came Ron's reply. "Are you sure that Harry wanted us to come here?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Of course" Hermione said as she started to walk towards one of the chairs near the fireplace. "He said so in the letter which Dobby brought with him and I don't think Dobby works for someone other than Harry"

"But what if someone had tampered the portkey which Dobby had brought for us?" Ginny's face had fear written all over it. She didn't like being in a place which she didn't know about, not after what had happened in the chamber of secrets, and also, she didn't like to be in a big dark room which had no exit door. One look at Ginny's face and Ron's brotherly instincts took over "Don't worry Gin, No one can tamper with portkeys so easily." Ron saw that this statement failed to calm down Ginny so he continued "And do you think Dobby would ever let anyone do this to us? After all, he won't do this to the C.E.O of the S.P.E.W Network." Ginny's face cracked into a small smile at this joke intended at Hermione while Ron had to do everything to escape the wild punch which was thrown towards him. After everyone had settled down in their respective chairs, including a furious Hermione, Ginny looked into the fire and said "Yeah. Dobby won't do this to any of us."

"But where the hell is Har…" Hermione stopped in mid-sentence as a series of 'whooshes' filled up the air surrounding them. Instinctively, all three of them drew their wands but found they were far outnumbered by the arriving people. These 'new' arrivals were still in the darker areas of the room and were surrounding the three of them completely. Slowly, the figures started approaching them and the three of them saw that all of the others had their wands raised. Praying desperately that this was some nightmare and she would just awake from it anytime now, Ginny's eyes widened in shock when the first one of the figures was close enough to be recognized. She knew him.

[][][][]

"Are you sure about this?" Dumbledore asked as Moody explained his position to him. It was the morning of 5'th of August but Dumbledore still didn't know about the missing Weasley family members or about Hermione.

"Yes" Moody replied, his forehead creased from the thoughts going around in his mind.

"But doesn't the Order come before your _other_ commitments?"

"Dumbledore, it is the duty of the Order to protect people and I want to do exactly that." Moody's mind was already made up but he still wanted to make this conversation as polite as possible. Dumbledore seemed lost in thought before saying "You could have asked me once before making up your mind."

"But I knew that you would never say no to this proposition." This was the masterstroke of Moody's _explanation_ to Dumbledore. Harry had asked him to put the ball in Dumbledore's court and had said that Dumbledore wouldn't reject the idea altogether. Dumbledore smiled at this comment and said "Seems like you have been talking with many people lately"

"Everyone talks with others" Moody knew that Dumbledore had understood where his _masterstroke_ had come from "Can't I talk to others just because I have a magical eye and people think I am paranoid?"

"Of course you can Alastor and it seems like I agree with some of the people you have been talking to." Dumbledore smiled again, breaking the tension which had been in the air for the past few minutes. "But did those people give you any suggestion as to what to say to the Order?"

"They just asked you not to tell the truth to anyone else." Moody tried to remain as much neutral in his comments as possible. Dumbledore looked at Moody before saying "Thank you for informing me Alastor. Give my best wishes to the people you know." The twinkling in his eyes seemed to have regained quite a lot of its fire as he said this.

[][][][]

"Calm down Molly" Arthur Weasley was desperately trying to calm down his wife but how could he succeed in it when his own voice was trembling quite a lot. He wanted to believe that his children were safe but he didn't have any confirmation about this since he didn't know how to contact Harry.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CALM DOWN?" Molly Weasley's voice seemed to shake the whole house. "WHAT IF SOMEONE KIDNAPPED THEM?"

"I understand your concern." Mr. Weasley knew he had to hold his nerve if there was any chance to get to the bottom of this. "Where are Tonks and Remus? They would surely know how to find Harry." Mrs. Weasley's face seemed to calm a bit at this suggestion from her husband but the expression of panic was back as she replied "Both of them left early today. Dumbledore had given them some tasks to perform."

"Oh…then I won't even find Tonks at the ministry building" Mr. Weasley looked crestfallen "Maybe Fred and George can tell us if Harry contacted them" he said with a bit of hope and made a quick fire-call which brought the twins back to their new 'home'. On hearing what had happened, both of them looked quite worried as they still had not received any letter from Harry asking for them to come over but they didn't show their concern to their parents.

"Look you guys" George spoke up "We are going to look for them and we are sure they are all right."

"Why don't you ask Dumbledore while we are away?" Fred chipped in while George looked at their parents in astonishment (_How could they have not done the most obvious thing?_). Both of the twins then went to find their siblings as their parents made a floo call to Dumbledore and both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked slightly relieved when Dumbledore assured them that he will himself start a search along with some other Order members. The Weasleys waited for over 2 hours when Dumbledore finally arrived at the headquarters accompanied by Minerva McGonagall.

"Albus, did you find them?" Molly rushed towards Dumbledore even as Minerva McGonagall didn't meet anyone's eye.

"Molly, we couldn't find them." Dumbledore said in an apologetic voice.

"WHAT!" Molly Weasley began to shake all over and Arthur Weasley had to rush and grab her to stop her from collapsing on the floor. Dumbledore nodded towards McGonagall who took it as a sign that Dumbledore would handle the situation here. Once McGonagall had left, Dumbledore and the Weasleys sat down at the dining table where Mrs. Weasley completely broke down.

"Arthur, Molly, I want to apologize to you two..." Dumbledore's tone was very grave as he began to explain what they had found during their search.

[][][][]__

"Hello Moody" Harry said with a warm smile on his face. "Everything went smoothly?"

"Yah" Moody growled in response as his magical eye took in the surroundings. He had been quite apprehensive when Harry had sent Dobby with a portkey to him but he knew there was no other way to get _here_ unless Harry had lied to him. In reality, he was in the 5'th compartment of Harry's trunk but had no idea of where he really was as Harry had wished the room not to reveal it's location to _anyone_ unless Harry himself wanted it to do so. "Where are we?" Moody asked as his frustration at not being able to see anything through the walls was evident in his voice.

"My home" Harry said in a careless tone but he was having a hard time not laughing at the expression on Moody's face. Moody walked over towards the door leading to the 6'th compartment and tried a few spells to check if it was ok to go through but finally stopped.

"Nice bit of magic you have got here Potter." Moody had been able to tell that the door wouldn't let him pass through "Where did you learn this?"

"You can say a friend of mine helped me." Harry replied with a glance towards the place where Dobby had appeared. Dobby gave him an affirmative nod before popping away again. "So, shall we get down to business?" Harry asked as Moody walked up to him after completing his survey, a fruitless one at that. "Ok." came the reply. Harry then explained to Moody how this Room of Requirement worked and also pointed out the fact that Moody's new office would be similar to what he saw here except for the fact that most of Moody's wishes would be granted there while almost none worked here. Harry also explained to Moody what kind of stories he could make up to cover up the fact that Moody had agreed to work for Harry besides providing Moody some additional ideas for other stories in case _exceptional_ scenarios arose. Finally Harry finished explaining that Moody could get here only through portkeys made by Harry himself at which point Moody said "Ok. Got everything you said. So, how do I get back here if I want to talk to you?"

"You can give me a call through this." Harry handed Moody a cell phone which he had brought from Diagon Alley. "This is enchanted to work for you only and I will send Dobby with a portkey to you after I get your call."

"You sure this thing works?" Moody turned over the cell phone in every direction and performed some charms on it to see if it was not jinxed.

"Don't worry, it works fine" Harry gave a demonstration to Moody to clear his doubts. "Oh...I forgot to clear one thing – your office will provide you with some extra time"

"What do you mean Potter?" Moody looked a bit puzzled.

"What I mean is that you will have a period of 3 months and 25 days in your office instead of just 25 days." Harry explained.

"Are you saying that time runs faster there?" Harry gave an affirmative nod to this question. "Anything else your _friend_ helped you out with?" Moody asked in a bit of awe.

"Nothing more except that all this stays just between the two of us and _no one_ should ever know about it. And remember one thing…" Harry said as he got up and handed Moody an amount of 100 galleons which was the 50% advance for the first month "…I am not in this in _any_ way" Moody didn't bother to reply as he touched a small marble which Harry had held up for him and immediately, he felt the similar tug behind his navel for a split second before reaching his destination.

[][][][]

"Where could have they gone brother?" Fred asked George who looked deep in thought. Seldom in their whole lives had they been as serious as now.

"Don't kn…" George was interrupted in mid-sentence by the sudden appearance of Dobby. A proud looking Dobby handed over a letter saying "Harry Potter is asking his Dobby to give you this". George tore open the letter which read:

_Dear Fred and George (George and Fred)_

_How are you guys doing? Anyway, I have a proposition for you guys. Please inform Dobby whether you want to hear about it or not. I will send my next message through him._

_Harry._

"Whoa…a proposition." George exclaimed. "What do you say brother?"

"I think we should listen to what he says" Fred answered "His last proposition is still working great for us" He added with a smile."

"Dobby, go and tell Mr. Potter…" George started as Fred finished off "…that we are ready for his proposition". Dobby gave a grin and said "Harry Potter is wanting his letter back". With a curious glance at his twin George handed back the letter. Dobby said a quick thanks and popped away.

"What do you make of it?" Fred asked after some moments of silence.

"I think he didn't want his letter to get into someone else's hand" came the reply. Fred couldn't help but agree with his brother and both of them waited anxiously for what message Dobby would bring back to them.

[][][][]

"NEVILLE" Ron shouted to his friend who had just come out of the darkness surrounding them. "What are you doing here?". Ron, Ginny and Hermione had looks of great relief on their faces as they saw that they were surrounded by people they knew.

"I got a letter from Harry asking me to come" Neville was obviously a bit shocked at seeing so many people here.

"Me too" Cho said as she too stepped out of the darkness, lowering her wand in the process. Everyone was now lowering their wands as they realized that the other people were not death-eaters as they had assumed previously. As Ron looked around he saw that most of the people who had been in the D.A. were there - except for Harry and the twins and some other exceptions.

"Does Harry plan to start the D.A. sessions so soon?" Ginny asked as she exchanged pleasantries with the newcomers. Dean was there as was Angelina who had been unable to qualify for the reserve chasers position for the England quidditch team. Lavender and Parvati seemed quite happy to see each other again so soon while Luna mentioned that her dad had got hold of a Thumping Twenganmet (_WHAT? Ron exclaimed_). Finally, after all the greetings had been exchanged, everyone noticed that a lone person had remained in the confines of the darkness the room provided.

"Who is that?" Hermione said with her wand raised. Finally, the person took a step forward and slowly stepped into the light to reveal a meek looking Marietta. "Harry called even you?" Ginny cried out in total disgust as the others looked daggers at Marietta. Even Cho seemed angry with her friend but Hermione stepped in at that moment "Hey you guys, let us hear what she has to say." This seemed good enough for everyone present there with even Marietta looking gratefully towards Hermione who was staring at her coldly.

"I am sorry for what I did." The long silence was finally broken by the 'guilty' person. "It will never happen again"

"You are sorry?" Cho shouted at her friend. "Do you have any idea what you had done? You broke everyone's trust in us, do you know that? Not many people here trust _me_ because of you. Marietta, I had a long time to think over it in the past few days and we are not the ones to whom you should apologize. It's Harry whom you betrayed and you owe an apology to him." A murmur of consent went around at this comment.

"But where the hell is Harry?" Ron shouted out in frustration.

"No need to shout Weasley." came a gruff reply from a person who had appeared in a dark corner of the room.

"PROFESSOR MOODY!!!" All of the D.A. members present there shouted out together, including Marietta. Moody wished for more light in the room and suddenly, the whole area seemed filled with light.

"What are you doing here Professor?" Hermione quipped "And where is Harry?"

"Potter didn't invite you here." Moody started on one of the stories which Harry had mentioned and Dumbledore had agreed to. "Dumbledore did."

"What do you mean by that?" Ron asked the question which everyone had in their minds. "We thought Harry was reforming the D.A. early this summer."

"And why would Professor Dumbledore use Harry's name?" Hermione added to the growing list of questions. Moody held up his had to stop any more questions from coming forth.

"Dumbledore used Harry's name because all of his own letters are monitored by the ministry."

"But how can that be professor?" Hermione asked "There is no way the ministry can monitor letters."

"Miss. Granger, there are a lot of things which are not present in any of the books you read." This effectively shut up Hermione just as Harry had said to Moody. "And Dumbledore wants to provide you with a special training session so that you people are ready for the difficult times which are facing us."

"But professor…" Ginny called out in frustration "…is this the D.A anymore? I mean, the D.A. can't be the D.A. without Harry." Everyone except Moody seemed to agree with this.

"Miss. Weasley, life doesn't stop because of one person. Potter won't be teaching you now, I will be doing it."

"But sir, where is Harry?" Neville asked. The entire room fell into silence but Ginny, Ron and Hermione were the person's who were most worried about Harry as they knew that his location was not unknown to everyone.

"Longbottom, he is safe and sound, that's all I can tell you. And if you have any more questions about Potter, then you should ask Dumbledore or Harry when you meet them." This effectively closed the discussion regarding Harry's whereabouts.

"Professor…" Cho called out "…why couldn't this wait for 25 days more? We could then have been in Hogwarts and Harry could have taught us there."

"25 days you say…" Moody growled "…you are 3 months in the past." This statement left everyone stunned. Before he could be asked any more questions, Moody started to explain to them "This place is a special one in Hogwarts. It is much like the Room of Requirements you all know of but this has limitations to it. We are 3 months back in time which means that you have around 3 and 25 days to train yourselves. Because you are back in time doesn't give you the liberty to change what has already happened…" Moody glanced at Ron, Hermione and the others who had been at the DoM "…and that includes helping yourselves out in your O.W.L's…" even Hermione couldn't help but smile at this comment "…and I have been assigned to train you to prepare yourselves against what has already started to happen out there. As you already know, dark days await us and we have to fight for ourselves. But fighting individually is not enough; we have to fight as a team so that we can win. Potter made you guys learn enough so that Dumbledore thought he count on you - don't let Dumbledore down. Hogwarts needs you…and Potter needs you." The last part of this lecture was said in a whisper which none of the others heard. There was pin-drop silence in the room as everyone understood what was expected of them - they had to be the forefront of Hogwarts and if someone tried to breach it then those people would have to go over the dead-bodies of the D.A. members.

"Ye sir, we are ready." This confident voice was that of Neville's. He still couldn't forget the images of Bellatrix Lestrange and he was ready to do everything he could to get a chance to take his revenge. Everyone present their nodded their heads in consent.

"But how are we going to do magic?" Hermione asked "The ministry…"

"Miss. Granger, Dumbledore has taken care of it." Moody said remembering what Harry had told him ("_The room doesn't let anyone know what their occupants were doing so there will be no problem if underage people performed magic or apparated in it_").

"You people would be staying here for almost 4 months so here are your quarters" With a wave of his wand and just a wish '_provide living quarters for everybody here_', the room transformed itself into what looked like a boarding school of sorts. "Those are the boys quarters and those are the girls." Moody pointed out the respective places to them "there is the library" Moody pointed to a room in the right hand corner "And remember one thing, this is like the Room of Requirements so your small wishes will be fulfilled but not anything big. You can get all the books you need here and if you get in too much trouble at an _important place_ you can always wish for extra toilet paper…" Everyone smiled at this intended joke "…and there is the clock…" Moody pointed out to a giant clock on the wall opposite to the living quarters "…which you can always see if you care to look out of your window. There is also a clock with date and times on it in your rooms. If this clock is to be believed, then it is 9:00 in the evening. Dinner will be served in this room in 15 minutes after which you will go to your beds. Your training starts tomorrow."

[][][][]

"Hi buddy." George exclaimed as he and his twin came to Harry's _home_ in his 5'th compartment using a portkey brought by Dobby. "Nice to see you alive" Fred continued. Harry gave a smile and asked both of them to have a seat.

"Where are we?" Fred asked as George looked around to find they were in the middle of a room.

"My home" Harry replied as Dobby came up with snacks for all three of them.

"You live here? This is just an empty hall." George said.

"Ooops…sorry. I forgot to mention that I have all the facilities required but they are hidden by an invisibility charm placed by Dobby" Harry lied since he didn't want too many people to know about his personal room of requirements. "Now, can we get down to some business?" Harry asked quickly as he still had many things to do.

"Yeah. But first tell us where our dumb brother and sweet little sister are or our parents will kill us." Fred said as George quickly added with a wink "And where is our soon-to-be sister-in-law?". Harry took a moment to realize exactly what George meant but then smiled. "Don't worry guys, Dumbledore told me they are all fine." Harry said.

"You mean you don't know where they are?" Both the twins looked surprised at this.

"No" Harry responded "All I know is that Dumbledore is giving them some training in self-defense."

"Really!"

"And he didn't tell us."

"Now brother…"

"How can we live with this shame…"

"That our dumb younger brother…"

"Could end up smarter than us."

"HEY YOU GUYS" Harry shouted to stop this rambling by the twins. Both of his guests looked shocked at being interrupted in their grieving ceremony which made Harry smile a bit. "Don't tell this to anyone ok? Your mum and dad should know about it by now but no one else does. Please try to keep it that way, ok?

"Ok boss." Both of them chorused simultaneously. "So, what is this proposition about?" one of the twins asked Harry.

"I want you guys to give away free gifts to your buyers."

"WHAT?" Fred screamed.

"Do you want to close down our shop?" It was George's turn to shout this time.

"No." Harry held up his hands to calm down both of his guests. "Let me explain. I want you guys to make things which people will use for decoration, say a flower vase and other stuff like that. Now, what you do is that you make lots of this kind of stuff and whenever someone buys something worth…say 50 galleons, you give them a free gift. Now, don't give every one the same gift, make it a bit random will you. As for the expenses, I will cover whatever you spend."

"What next?" Harry couldn't help but appreciate how quick both the twins were.

"Well, all these objects should have spying devices inside them." The twins looked at each other as if Santa had just granted them one of their most-wanted wishes. Harry understood the silent exchange between them and continued "They all should transmit information to one central object which…"

"…you will possess, right?" George asked as Fred nodded.

"Yes." Harry said "You think you can do all this for me? I will pay you whatever you want."

"Look Harry…" Fred was interrupted in mid-sentence by Harry. "If you guys don't take the money then I won't ask you to do anything for me…ever." The twins had another silent exchange between themselves and finally came to an agreement.

"Ok, we will charge you the money for the raw material…"

"…but not any profit."

"That's fine with me." Harry felt relieved that the twins had given in without too big a fight though he knew that his voice had sounded much like Professor McGonagall's when she said something with an air of finality in it. "One more thing, this remains only between us unless I say otherwise, ok?"

"Ok boss" both the twins chorused again. The twins then asked Harry for a time-period of 2-3 weeks so that they could finish their experiments for all this and also said that they would give Harry a prototype of the listening device by the 1'st of September. After all the details had been discussed, they finally took their leave and went back to a place just outside the anti-portkey wards near their home by a portkey given to them by Harry (_Don't mention this to anyone, will you?)_.

[][][][]

"Hi mom" the head of Ronald Weasley popped out of the fire at 12, Grimmauld Place which had a very tense feeling to it. Both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley jumped out of their chairs at this and rushed to the fireplace.

"Oh Ron…are you ok?" Mrs. Weasley almost choked on her tears while Mr. Weasley tried to pacify her.

"Mom, don't be like that. I am safe and everyone else is safe. I think Dumbledore told you about this, right?" Ron looked a bit hesitant as he glanced around and looked very relieved at not finding anyone else nearby.

"Yes son" Mr. Weasley spoke up. "He told it to us this afternoon after everyone else had left. At first when he came to us he said he didn't find you and we were so worried. But later, when everyone had left, he told us about it…" At this moment there came the sound of someone at the door.

"Mom Dad…I should go" Ron whispered urgently. "Don't tell anyone about this." Both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded their heads in agreement as Ron withdrew his head from the fire just in time to evade the new arrivals (the twins). A relieved Ron took a deep breath as he knew that this had been a close shave for him. He didn't want many people to see him or rather, he didn't want anyone other than his parents to see him now or he would have to do a lot of explaining later. Slowly, he took out a piece of parchment entitled '_Things to tell Alastor Moody_' and wrote down the first point:

_Talked to Mom and Dad on the evening of 5'th August - Ronald Weasley_.

After finishing this, he tucked away the note in his pocket and called out "Dobby, can I have my dinner please."

"Yes Harry Potter" came the prompt reply.

[][][][]

It was the 10'th of August and Harry was doing his daily meditation. He had now developed quite a strong grip on his mind and could direct his thoughts to whatever thing he wanted to. In the past few days, he had asked the room to provide for exact replicas of many of the people he knew at Hogwarts, including his teachers, and had taken in every detail of their external appearance. After that he had practiced turning into each of them and found that it took him about an hour each to get their images clear enough in his mind which made changing his appearance very easy. He was at first hesitant to change into his headmistresses form but decided to proceed with it because no one knew when it could come in handy. The most difficult part however came when he tried to change into Dumbledore because, though changing his shape was not too much of a problem, the main problem came when he tried to bring out the twinkling in his eyes. Even after many days, he had been able to only bring out about 50% of the effect which Dumbledore's eyes normally had. In the meanwhile, he had finally been able to grasp the basics of conjuring up objects and had been able to conjure basic objects such as a rectangular box. He had unsuccessfully tried to conjure up a wooden version of Prongs and finally decided that it would have to wait. His dueling had also progressed quite a bit as he had been able to take on his 4 opponents for much over 3 hours after which the only remaining _Harry_ had been able to stun him. Apart from all this, he was now focusing on spells in the books which he had found in the Black Family Vault and, to his surprise, found many spells which could be termed 'light'. Many of the spells were so old that Harry felt sure that most of the Wizarding world had forgotten about them. One of the spells seemed like an old version of the Imperius curse except for the fact that the cursed person wouldn't harm himself or any other person when put under this spell. Harry kept working at these new spells and had also started going through the more 'darker' spells so that he could be ready for them when the time came. He now always had to read two books at a time - one for checking out dark curses while the other had counter-curses or healing charms in it. He had also learnt some techniques used by ancient wizards, such as putting a sound-proof charm while apparating and dis-apparating. These techniques had been used by them so that they could hide their magical activities from the normal people but nowadays most people had forgotten these techniques since they could modify the memory of others. Harry made a note of these tactics which he thought might prove helpful to him. He had also started to read up the book on patronuses which Hermione had given him as a birthday present but it seemed more of journal than a book because it all it contained was loads and loads of people telling them about their experiences with dementors and how the Patronus charm had saved them or their near-and-dear one's. It was while he was around the 268'th page that he came upon 2 pages of writing of which he couldn't make any sense of. Though it looked like English, it just didn't make any sense to him and he was sure that no one else could understand it as well. Finally he gave up and went on to finish about one-third of the book before putting it down to pick up another book. Reading, it seemed, had become quite a habit of Harry as Dobby got accustomed to either finding Harry dueling or reading during the day-time. Dobby had made sure that Harry got enough information about what was happening in the outside world and kept him up-to-date with whatever he saw or heard. In the meantime, Harry had also made a special portkey perch for Hedwig so that only Hedwig could use it to travel back and forth between Harry's trunk and the outer world. Harry had taken great care to make the portkey perch as portkeys had different kinds of after-effects on different kinds of animals and it had taken him a period of 3 days to make the portkey perch which was activated only if Hedwig sat on it. Slowly but steadily Harry kept making progress and he knew that by the time he got to Hogwarts, he would have the bare minimum spells, hexes and techniques under his belt which would help him remain alive for some time under dire circumstances.

"Harry Potter" Dobby said breaking Harry's meditation. "Dobby is sorry for breaking Harry Potter's meditation" Dobby's face looked pitiful and it seemed he would burst into tears anytime now.

"Dobby" Harry said warningly "You don't have to say sorry for everything you do. I was just finishing up when you called so there is nothing to be sorry about." Dobby's smiled at this obvious lie of Harry's and said "Harry Potter shouldn't lie to make Dobby happy". At once, Harry felt a bit ashamed of himself and apologized quickly "Sorry Dobby but I don't like to see you like that every time you think you did something wrong. Understand what I mean?" Dobby nodded at this and said with a smile "Harry Potter's Tonkie and Werewolf are here." Harry smiled at this and went to fetch them.

"So, at last you find time to visit me?" Harry's voice was laced with a bit of hurt when everyone had come in the Room of Requirements in his 5'th compartment. Both Tonks and Remus exchanged a look before Tonks spoke up "Sorry Har". Both of them looked very embarrassed but Harry was having none of it.

"What sorry? You guys vanish for days outside and do you know how many days I have to spend in here without any company. Thankfully I have adjusted the timeline here so that I spend less number of days in here with respect to the outside world." This made his two guests even more miserable as they both understood what it felt at being left alone for days on end. "I can never forgive you guys unless…" Harry trailed off, his gaze shifting from one person to another.

"Unless what Harry?" Remus wanted to desperately make up for what had happened.

"No…I don't think…uh…just forget it" Harry waved them off and started walking towards his room. Alarmed, both Tonks and Remus rushed over to stop him.

"Hey, I said sorry." Tonks said "Ok, go on. Tell us what you want and we will do it."

"No you won't" Harry seemed disinterested.

"We will" Remus said this time.

"If you say so…" Harry looked a bit hesitant but his face brightened when he saw the encouragement on both of his guest's faces. "Why don't you two move in with me?"

[][][][]

"Way to go Ron" Dean called out as Ron defeated Lavender in a duel. All the members had been here for 15 days and had worked on many aspects of dueling and learning new spells. Hermione had even gone on to finish most of her 6'th year defence spells from the books which was provided in the library of _this_ place. This was the first real test for all the members and Moody had setup a knockout tournament of sorts for them based on the idea given to him by Harry. Harry had devised this plan from the cricket world-cup and had asked Moody to setup a league where the participants would be divided into 3 groups and would fight each other every second day. After a months worth of duels, the top 4 from each group would move in the quarter finals out of which the top 4 teams would move into the next round named Super-Sixes. The next 2 teams would then be decided with the help of play-offs and out of these six teams, the top four would move onto the final round. This final round was scheduled for the end of the second month and the winner would be declared from the overall standings after that. For the next month Harry had decided that there would be intensive training on spells plus the introduction of apparation for each of the members. Moody had not made any protest against this even though he knew that it was against the ministry law and he had informed Dumbledore about Harry's intentions. After Dumbledore had agreed on it, Moody and Harry had developed a curriculum as to how to teach everyone the basics of apparation with Dumbledore providing them with some expert tips through the school owl (_which would deliver its messages to Dobby_). Out of the last 25 days, 15 days were reserved for only duels but this time it would be between groups rather than individuals. The groups would be decided upon by Moody and the fights were to be made in a simulated environment provided by the room. Each of the groups would have a single day each to plan out their strategies and then they would take to the _battlefield_. It had been decided that there would be four teams so that once everyone got back to Hogwarts, there would be the correct number of groups for each of the houses. To top it all, there would be a complete evaluation of each member and the person with the highest points would be awarded 100 galleons by an _undisclosed beneficiary_.

"Thanks mate" Ron looked quite content with his performance and he then went over to watch a duel between Hermione and Zacharias Smith which ended with Hermione winning easily.

"Hey 'mione, you did great" Ron called out as she made her way towards the library. "Wait till you face me" came the reply which caused Ron's face to lose quite a lot of color. Ron was thinking about what strategy he would use against Hermione when a voice greeted him from behind "Hello".

"Oh, hi Cho." Cho looked quite nervous though Ron couldn't fanthom what could be the cause for it. "Can I help you in any way?" Ron put his best behavior on display as he said this.

"Well…uh…" Seeing the obvious discomfort on Cho's face Ron decided to wait.

"uh..I…one minute please…" Cho took a deep breath and finally seemed to have made up her mind "Have you talked to…uh…Harry recently?"

"Harry? No." Ron replied truthfully. "Actually the last time I saw him…" the scene at the Order meeting was floating in front of his eyes "…he seemed very upset." Ron finished off thoughtfully. Now that he thought of it he realized that he had _never_ _ever_ seen Harry like that and there seemed something different about him.

"I see. Well...thank you" Cho said as she rushed off leaving a confused Ron behind. "Hey Gin." Ron said called out as he saw his sister making her way towards the girls living quarters "I wanted to ask..." Ron just stopped talking as he realized that Ginny hadn't even turned even after hearing him and had gone into the girl's quarters. "What's up with all these girls?" Ron thought to himself.

[][][][]

"They seem to be making good progress" Remus said as he, Tonks and Harry watched the D.A. members learning under the guidance of Moody. Both of them had moved in here the day after Harry had asked them to and they seemed to be enjoying it a lot. Harry had explained to them that the Room of Requirements in the 5'th compartment was now distributed into 2 different rooms, one for themselves and one for the D.A. members, even though there seemed to be no difference in the capacity of their 'own' original room. He went on to explain how he had hired Moody and persuaded him to teach the D.A. members and how even Dumbledore had ultimately let them go ahead with their plan. He also explained that the other part of the room had an independent timeline which was wished to give a period of 3 months and 25 days in the space of the original 25 days outside and that the timeline of their own room was also variable depending upon Harry's requirements. After that, he told them the cock-and-bull story he had asked Moody to tell to the D.A. members about being sent back in time.

"But how can everyone do magic in there without being detected?" Remus asked.

"C'mon, all Harry had to do was make a wish Remu." Tonks replied. Harry nodded his head and Tonks just pointed her index finger towards her head and whispered "He's nuts" to Harry.

"Hey I heard that." Remus said as Tonks cursed herself for not remembering that Remus had a hyper-sensitive hearing and smelling power. "No Remu...I was talking about Moody."

"Young Lady, don't you dare try to trick me." Remus growled as both Tonks and Harry sported huge grins. Tonks was grinning because she had been caught whereas Harry, on the other hand, was grinning about the fact that no one would ever know that he had made Fudge approve the usage of magic by the underage students of the D.A in addition to getting permission that they could apparate without being hauled up by the ministry officials. Every time he remembered how fast Fudge had run when he had said "Your time starts NOW" made him smile to himself. At least, he was making Fudge pay a small price for making Sirius's life miserable.

"Can't they see us Har?" Tonks asked as one of the girls seemed to be looking her directly in the eye.

"No. This is a one way transparent wall" Harry explained.

"Are there any transparent walls in the girls living quarters?" Tonks asked with a glint in her eyes. Harry blushed at this and said "What do you mean?"

"Oh...nothing...nothing" Tonks gave an innocent smile at Harry who swung his fist towards her. Tonks barely managed to get out of the way and said "So, I was right in my guessing. A teenaged boy with so many attractive girls...I wonder where the shower is located"

"It's nothing like that" Harry mumbled under his breath as he turned a deep red which would have given Ron an inferiority complex (again!). "Hey, did I show you my conjuring skills?" Harry said changing the subject as quickly as he could. He had been able to conjure up some complex objects now, the most complex being a 4-legged stool.

"Really!" Tonks almost screamed, forgetting her teasing. "C'mon Har, show us." Harry then obliged both of them by producing a simple plank of wood. "That's it?" Tonks sounded a bit disappointed at this 'show of skill' by Harry.

"Hey...I am getting better you know." Harry said, throwing up his arms in the air. Remus provided him with the necessary encouragement "You will only get better Harry.". Tonks also realized that her comment could have been discouraging so she added "Yeah...we have full faith in you."

"Only if faith could be used to conjure up objects" Harry had a very disappointed look on his face which suddenly brightened "I will try to conjure up sitting stools for you".

"Way to go Har" Tonks seemed excited that Harry may be able to produce a 4-legged stool for them while Remus looked a bit apprehensive. Both of them watched as Harry concentrated for a long moment and gave a swish of his wand and...

"WOW. You did it." Tonks jumped out of her seat in excitement as she saw a single 4-legged stool in front of her.

"Well done Harry" Remus added as Harry conjured up the second tool and then a third one. "You seemed to have understated your abilities the first time around." Harry gave a meek smile as he left his own chair to sit on one of the stools he had conjured. "Looks like you can conjure up quite strong objects too" Remus said once Harry had taken his seat.

"You guys can try it out yourselves. I am a lightweight after all" Harry smiled at them as he said this. Both Remus and Tonks went over to one of the stools and took their 'new' seats but Tonks's stool immediately broke down. Remus looked puzzled at this since he found that his own stool was rock-solid while Tonks got up and looked around to see a smiling Harry and...

"Wait a minute you monster" she shouted at Harry. Remus looked puzzled at this statement but realization dawned on him as he saw Harry pointing his wand towards where Tonks's stool had been and he understood that Harry must have put some kind breaking spell on the stool.

"Hey...sorry" Harry said to Tonks "I should have told you that it can support only up to 90 Kilograms of weight." This seemed to further enrage Tonks while Remus's mouth broke out into a huge grin.

"One of these days you are going to regret all the jokes you have played on me _Potter_" Tonks bellowed.

[][][][]

"They can't be like you Potter" Moody had been called by Harry to provide a report about the progress of the D.A. members. Added to the fact that neither Tonks nor Remus was present, Harry thought this was the best time to call Moody.

"I didn't expect _you_ of all people to say that Moody." Moody just sneered at this remark from Harry. They had been almost on the verge of an argument for the past 30 minutes or so regarding the progress of the D.A. members. "Look Moody" Harry continued in a much calmer tone "They have to survive and most importantly, they have to protect others."

"Easier said than done Potter. I have been training those kids for a month now and not many of them show real potential to take on a death-eater." came the growling response.

"Moody, they have potential and you know it as much as I do. It's just that they need a good guide." Harry paused as he tried to ease the tension between them. "You can definitely understand who is good in offense and who is better off in defense. Just try to mould a good team of guys like that."

"And you think that the death-eaters would attack groups of wizards?"

"No. But teach them that they should move in groups. Teach them that they have to fight in groups to overcome the dark forces. Teach them that they have to watch out for each others backs if they want to remain alive for longer periods of time. Teach them how to live".

"You would have made a better teacher than me Potter" Moody said in appreciation as he understood the zeal in Harry's voice.

"Then it is your target to become a better teacher than me. Do you think that you can do it?" Harry threw up the challenge to Moody knowing fully well that the retired Auror won't back down.

"You got me there, didn't you?" Moody said with an expression which was meant to be his smile "You are becoming quite efficient with your words."

"You forget that I have been around Dumbledore for a long time now." Harry joked. Harry then asked Moody to modify the memory of Ron, Hermione and Ginny so that they would think that Ron had a talk with his mom and dad on the evening of August 5'th. Moody didn't ask questions as to why Harry wanted him to do so and, after about another 30 minutes of discussions, left using the one-way portkey which Harry offered to him.

[][][][]

"What's the matter Dean?" Hermione asked to a very disheveled looking Dean Thomas. They had just completed all their duels for the first round and Hermione, Dean, Ron and Neville, along with 12 other people, had made it to the quarter-finals of the dueling rounds. Those who had lost had been given extra lessons by Moody and the winners were supposed to help them out with tactics, spell usages and all other stuff where they could improve.

"Nothing". Dean's mood was very somber and the tone of his voice was that of a hurt person.

"Hey c'mon, I am your friend. Maybe I can help you out" Hermione knew that something grave had happened.

"uh..."

"C'mon Dean, I won't tell anyone" Hermione said adding "I promise"

"Ginny broke up with me" Dean said with misty eyes as Hermione understood just how much pain it had caused to him.

[][][][]

"Hey." Tonks whispered as she sat down beside Harry who was watching the progress of the D.A. It had been over 45 days since the D.A. had started working out and Harry was quite pleased with the progress of the members. It seemed to him that Moody had taken his words to heart and was working tirelessly to get everyone up to the standards Harry had mentally set for them.

"Hi. You are early" Harry replied without taking his eyes off a duel between Ginny and Cho in the Super-Sixes round.

"Yeah. Remus wanted me to keep an eye on his godson since he wasn't sure of his intentions." Tonks said with a smile and went on to add "Seems like he was correct. You seem to be watching only the girls here."

"Tonks! It is the Super-Sixes round going on. This will lead to the finalists."

"Oh...I absolutely forgot." Tonks slapped herself on her forehead "The girl who wins in the final is yours, right?" At this, Harry lunged at her though she proved too fast for him. Keeping safe distance from him, Tonks went on "That's the Weasley girl, isn't she?" Harry looked at the girl Tonks was pointing to and just confirmed Tonks' assumption. "Pretty, isn't she?" Tonks said again.

"Tonkie...shut up."

"Oh...maybe you like that other one." At this, she saw that instead of getting angry or blushing at her comments, Harry's face saddened quite a bit. "What's the matter Harry?" Tonks looked a bit concerned at this sudden change of expression.

"Nothing" Harry said as his face changed into a cold mask.

"C'mon boy, did you ask her out and she refused?" Tonks knew very well what could be the concern of a 16 year old boy when a girl's name made him look sad or angry. "Or did you break-up?"

"Break up" Harry replied quietly.

"Why?" Tonks asked.

"Her former boyfriend was Cedric Diggory." To Harry, this seemed enough as an explanation as to why he and Cho had broken up. Tonks knew the circumstances of Cedric's death and came to the conclusion that Cho had still not got over Cedric.

"Hey..." she whispered to Harry "Don't get so upset. She will get over all this and..." Tonks was cut-off by Harry at this point "Tonks, why should I always wait for others to get over things? Everyone expects me to adapt to their wishes." There was a lot of disgust in Harry's voice.

"Look Harry..." Tonks tried to explain to him based on her own teenage experience "You shouldn't take out other things on her. One minute please..." Tonks stopped Harry from interrupting her again "...what I mean is that you had problems with getting over Sirius's death and god knows that you still remember every moment you spent with him." Harry's cold mask was gone by now and his face looked grief-stricken. Though Tonks hated seeing him like this she knew she had to continue. "Even Remus hasn't got over his death and neither have I…" Harry looked at her when she said this "…and I don't think we will ever be able to forget him. So you shouldn't blame that girl for not able to get over her boyfriends death. Give her time, will you?" Tonks finished off.

"Maybe I should but..."

"Ok then. If you want to move on you should do so. But don't blame anyone for not being able to get over someone's death." It was taking a lot of courage for Tonks to say all this as she was getting reminded of both Sirius and Kingsley but she had to do it for Harry. Harry understood her point and said "Thank you Tonkie."

"Most welcome dear" Tonks smiled at seeing the cloud of confusion and grief getting lifted off Harry's face. "By the way, what is her name?"

"Cho...Cho Chang." Harry said as Cho defeated Ginny and confirmed her place for the final round.

"I see. In any case, you have had enough time to look _in detail_ at what all these girls have to offer..." Tonks said playfully, not noticing the evil expression which had come over Harry's eyes "I think the Weasley..." She was unable to finish her sentence as Harry threw himself at her but she proved faster for him once again as she apparated away. Harry also didn't lose any time and sent a spell towards her and apparated near her only to find that she had apparated away again. Ten minutes later Remus entered with the help of a portkey which Harry had given him (_and which worked only for him and Tonks who had a similar _portkey) to see that two people were apparating all over the place, sending curses at each other while one of them kept on saying something like "...or the tall girl there..." "or that dreamy looking girl..."

[][][][]

"So the four of you think you are good enough to take on death eaters, are you?" Moody growled in a high-pitched voice as the four finalists gathered before him for the first round of dueling in the finals. The four finalists were Hermione, Neville, Cho and Angelina Jhonson. Ron had lost in the Super-Sixes round along with Ginny and the others. Angelina was the surprise package of the final four because she had come from behind in the league stages to reach the Super-Sixes where she had remained unbeaten to reach the finals. Even Hermione had been unable to defeat her while Neville had lost by a narrow margin. By now Dean, who had recovered quite a lot from the loss of his relationship with Ginny, had started taking bets as to who would win the finals and it seemed that Angelina was clearly the favorite here as almost 60 % of the people were betting in her favor. Ron, however, had decided to remain on Hermione's side and was going about telling everyone that Hermione would win hands down (_he didn't dare to put any money on anybody_).

"You think you can just point your wands at your opponent and say some spells and win. Is that all?" Moody started to pace around them. "You think death eaters will play fair with you when you fight them? Remember one thing, if anyone has a chance to win then they not only have to know spells, and good ones for that matter, but they have to always remain vigilant. CONSTANT VIGILANCE - that's what will help you win". With that Moody let the finals begin. There were going to be 12 duels in total over a period of 2 days where each of the finalists would fight against each other twice. The first day's line-up was Neville vs. Cho, Angelina vs. Hermione, Neville vs. Hermione, Angelina vs. Cho, Neville vs. Angelina and Hermione vs. Cho.

"Longbottom vs Chang" Moody called out as both of the participants stepped onto the dueling arena and bowed to each other. Both drew their wands but didn't cast any spell. Harry, who was seeing this from his side of the room, thought that this was a good strategy in a formal duel since the one who would cast his spell first would be greeted with a _Protego_ spell from his opponent. This would lead to an advantage since the person casting the spell would not only have to deal with his or her own spell rebounding back but if their opponent was quick enough then they would have to deal with another spell and unless they had a strong shield or were fast enough, they would have less chance of winning than the other. Harry watched both the duellers not doing anything for about 10 seconds after which he saw Neville's patience crack. Both Cho and Neville got engaged in a furious battle though after a time Neville seemed to be gaining the upper hand. He had covered Cho's face with smoke while Cho had hit him with the leg-locking curse. Both took a moment to perform the counter-curses on themselves after which they attacked each other again. Neville and Cho were using some NEWT level curses on each other and slowly but surely, Cho started to match Neville. After 5 minutes of dueling in which both had been scarred and bruised, Cho managed a very advanced spell which caused Neville to lose consciousness for a few seconds. That was enough for Cho as she disarmed Neville and was announced as the winner. Neville then went on to congratulate her and both of them then went to Colin Creevy, who had been noting down their moves, to see what they had done right and where they had faltered.

In the meanwhile, the duel between Angelina and Hermione had started. Hermione looked determined to beat Angelina and started using spells unheard of in the D.A. (even Moody was wondering how she could perform some of those spells). Angelina, on the other hand, was using her _limited_ knowledge to the best of her abilities and was using her quidditch enhanced reflexes to move out of the way of many of Hermione's spells. After a long duel, Angelina hit Hermione with a hand-locker curse (which caused a persons arm to be fixed in a particular direction) before disarming her to win the duel. After a rest of an hour, Neville and Hermione started a new battle in which Hermione won easily while in another duel Angelina effectively demolished Cho. This caused the bets on Angelina to go even higher up as people started taking loans for bets (_which greatly angered Harry_).

"Hey Colin" Hermione went up to the Potter-mad fan. "What's the score line?"

"Well...hmmm..." Colin looked up his scorecard and said "You and Angelina are both tied on the first spot at 235 points whereas Neville is on 230 and Cho is on 228." Hermione knew that she was lucky to be tied with Angelina and thanked her books for all they were worth. The scoring system was made in such an order that they took into account how fast a duel was over, who had performed what spells (more complicated the spell, more the points), who had managed to avoid how many hexes, who had performed how many counter-curses on themselves and last but not the least - who won. "Thanks Colin" Hermione said as she went to take a seat beside Ron. She had an hour's break after which the final duels of the day would take place and she wanted to use this time for as much rest as she could get.

"Hi" Ron greeted her "You did great. Damn, I don't have any money to bet on your winning the title."

"So that's what you think I am for?" Hermione looked Ron directly in his eye "Some girl on whom you can bet some money so that you can make some more out of it?" Ron was gaping at her with his mouth open and looked appalled at what Hermione had made of his comment. Hermione, on the other hand, looked quite serious and kept staring at him.

"No...no...I...uh..I...didn't...I..." Ron started to mumble while his gaze became fixed on his fingernails. Feeling Hermione's stare on him he said "I didn't mean..." when Hermione laughed out loudly.

"Thanks Ron" Hermione finally managed to say to a baffled Ron "I needed to see that expression of yours to relax. I really needed it."

"I am sorry" Ron said meekly.

"Hey, don't worry. I was only joking and don't start rambling again, ok?" Ron just nodded his head with some color returning to his cheeks.

"I wonder where Harry is" Ron said after a long pause.

"Hopefully he is fine. If he had been here then he would have won this contest hands down" Hermione replied without knowing how close she was to the exact truth.

"Yeah. But I am very angry with him." Ron said "He could have sent us at least a letter!"

"Maybe he is busy Ron. You know, after Sirius...he needs some time to himself." Hermione said but went on to add "But he seemed so different that day."

"Yes. And he seemed to like it very much" Ron shot an angry look towards Hermione as if she had failed to understand what the difference was.

"What I..."

"Hey guys" Neville interrupted Hermione who just warned Ron with a look of her eyes.

"Hi Nev. You are doing great." Ron said as a chit-chat session started between the three of them. Finally, it was time for the last duels for everyone. Neville went up against Angelina and it seemed as if Angelina would get another easy win when Neville fired a barrage of spells towards her which took all of Angelina's physical and magical abilities to avoid (_though she could apparate, the rules forebode her from using apparation during duels_). Angelina recovered slightly as she hit Neville with a curse on his left hand but found that the next curse of Neville hitting her. As it turned out, it was a full body-bind curse and Neville, painfully, disarmed her and was declared the winner. In the other duel, Hermione kept using advanced spells but this time, Cho was much more careful. She had learnt her lesson against Angelina and she used her physical flexibility to avoid some of Hermione's curses. She herself shot a large number of curses towards Hermione only to find Hermione putting up some shield or avoiding it completely. After about 6 minutes into the duel, Cho did something which took Hermione unawares. Cho had sent a smoke creating hex towards Hermione just as Hermione had sent an unknown curse towards her which Cho had barely managed to avoid. Luckily for Cho, Hermione had just performed the counter curse to clear up the smoke around her and had not seen Cho avoid the curse. Cho decided to take advantage of this and clutching her throat, started screaming at the top of her lungs. Hermione looked shocked at seeing what Cho was going through and dropped her guard for a moment which was greeted by a single word - _Stupefy_.

The next day's schedule was Angelina vs. Hermione, Neville vs. Hermione, Angelina vs. Cho, Neville vs. Angelina, Hermione vs. Cho and Neville vs. Cho. Angelina, who had suffered only one single defeat at the hands of Neville in her past 9 duels, was defeated by Hermione which made Hermione the leader of the points table. The next duel saw Neville defeating Hermione while in the 3'rd duel, Angelina lost for the second time that day. With 3 more duels remaining, Angelina was still topping the list with 250 points followed by Hermione on 248 points. Neville had 247 while Cho had 246 points. Angelina's duel with Neville was a very fierce one which lasted over 15 minutes before Angelina finally managed to have her revenge on Neville while Hermione was surprisingly defeated by Cho. With one remaining duel, Angelina still led with 259 points followed closely by Cho and Hermione on 255 points each. Neville seemed well out of the race for the winner's position with only 250 points even though it was mathematically possible. The last duel between Neville and Cho turned out to be one which everyone, including Moody, enjoyed. The duel had lasted over 20 minutes as Neville had taken a defensive stance while Cho had gone for an all out attack. Neville had cast the first real offensive spell at the end of the 14'th minute which had led to Cho developing burns on her left arm. Neville was then greeted with the similar spell but he went into his shell again and waited for a little bit of opening. Finally he found the opening he wanted and lunged into an all out attack. Unknown to Neville, Cho had knowingly let her guard down long enough to lure Neville out of his defensive tactics and used up that opportunity to defeat Neville with a spell no one thought would help at that moment - _Expelliarmus_. The final standings stood at:

Cho - 264 Points

Angelina - 259 Points

Hermione - 255 Points

Neville - 255 Points.

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"So, it seems they can take care of themselves quite well" Remus said as he watched the ending of the team event where four groups had taken on each other in turns and then there had been a 'survival for the fittest group' in a simulated battlefield. Remus and Tonks had informed Harry that the death-eaters were lying low for the time being and not even Snape knew what Voldemort was planning to do next. They had just finished filling Harry with all the details when the last event on the D.A.'s schedule had come to an end. The last month and a half and gone very well for everyone as most of the D.A. members had learned to apparate (_the underage persons had done it under the oath that they would use this only in life-threatening situations_) and it had been very difficult to grade one team above the other. Ultimately, Moody had nominated the group led by Hermione as the winner by only a single point above the other 3 teams and Neville had topped the points table along with Cho and Hermione with Angelina coming a close second. All of the winners had been rewarded with 100 galleons each which they promptly shared amongst the whole of the D.A. members. This past 3 and a half months had made them like a unit - one which was ready for action and prepared to save each other despite the fact that they were in different houses at Hogwarts. They still had 8 days left here (which was only about 2 days in the real world) after which they would be taken back to their homes on 29'th August for packing up their luggage. Everyone had been informed that their parents had taken care of their requirements which had to be bought and they could buy any additional books or things, which they might require, on the last 2 days of their holidays.

"Yes" Harry said "Hopefully they will be able to protect themselves now onwards."

"But Harry, was all of this necessary in this manner?" Tonks looked at Remus as he asked this question for the first time. Remus and Tonks had discussed many a time as to why Harry had himself not taken care of the D.A. or why he had not even taken time out to talk to his friends even once but they had decided to trust Harry's judgment. But now Remus somehow felt that he needed to talk to Harry about it, to understand his intentions better and to help him if Harry wanted him to help.

"Yes it was" Harry replied coolly. "Look at how close they have become with Moody in these few days." Harry pointed out to a scene which most people wouldn't have believed unless they had seen it themselves - Moody and the D.A. members eating lunch together and joking with each other whole-heartedly.

"But you can't keep them away from you forever." Remus tried to explain as Tonks maintained her silence. This kind of talk was not her type as she knew she could try it but she would never be as good as Remus could be.

"That doesn't mean that I have to stay with them always." Tonks thought the temperature in the room had dropped by several degrees as this was the first time that Remus was trying to make Harry see some sense (_at least, from his point of view_).

"But they love you very much Harry."

"Human nature is a very unique thing, isn't it?" Harry questioned with a hint of amusement in his voice "Someone once said 'Out of sight, out of mind'"

"But that won't be the case in Hogwarts." Remus reasoned.

"I have thought of another way for that" Harry replied without going into the details of his '_another_'_ way_.

"But you still will have to deal with them, isn't it?" Tonks spoke very hesitantly for the first time.

"I will deal with them. But the most important factor is that they won't be dealing with me" Harry replied to her.

"What do you mean?" Remus looked puzzled.

"They won't be dealing with Harry. They will be dealing with Harry Potter." Harry's voice betrayed no emotion as he said this. He knew it was easier said than done but he had to do it somehow - not for his sake but that for his friends. His time in the trunk had been a very tough one, seeing all his friends getting closer, having quality time with each other and yet, he had to see everything from across a wall - a wall built by Voldemort which only he could tear down when the time came. But he had been able to hold onto himself by reminding himself that his friends very life could depend on his level of interaction with them and he knew that he would be able to hold on to himself when he got back to Hogwarts which was now only about 10 days away in room's timeline (for the past few days Harry had made the timeline's of both the D.A.'s room and this part of the room same).

"But Harry you are their leader." Tonks was almost pleading to him to not give up his friends like that. "They need their leader for god's sake and you haven't made a move to even talk to them."

"I know." Harry said as he got up "That's why they have 8 days in hand before they go back to their homes." Both Remus and Tonks looked at each other, unable to understand a thing about what Harry was saying. "They have stayed under Moody long enough. He is their teacher and everyone has to know that he can't lead them into battle." Harry's voice seemed to freeze everything it touched as he started walking in the direction of the separator between the two portions of the same room with the words which left both Tonks and Remus gazing after him "They will be meeting their leader today".

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**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 9'th chapter.

Hope you like this chapter. If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.

**Be0t** – No problem.

**And all the other guys who reviewed** - Thanks for your reviews. Please know that they are very much appreciated and give me a real kick-in-the-back to continue writing. Also, since this story was taken down once, I will like to inform you that if it is taken down again, I won't continue with it here anymore. You will have to follow it at my yahoo group. By the way, I am taking a break for a while and will be back soon.

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	10. Confrontations & Hogwarts

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 10 – Confrontations & Hogwarts**

Harry's voice seemed to freeze everything it touched as he started walking in the direction of the separator between the two portions of the same room with the words which left both Tonks and Remus gazing after him "They will be meeting their leader today".

&&&&

Station 9 and ¾ slowly vanished from Harry's view as he sat in the last compartment of the Hogwarts Express. Harry had a smile on his face as he knew he had successfully evaded the Weasley family on the platform even though it had required him to come to the station one hour early to get into the train. He felt that the additional time was worth it because the consequences of his being seen with the Weasley's could have been grave.

Checking his back pocket to see whether his trunk was secure or not, he looked around the compartment to see that it was empty except for another girl sitting nearby. He was sure that this girl was not in the Gryffindor house. "Ravenclaw maybe" Harry thought as he saw that the girl was reading a book. This girl was unknown to him and he assumed she must be one of those girls who had had a growth sprout in the summer. Speaking of growth sprouts, Harry was quite unlucky in that case. He had grown about 2 inches to reach 5 feet 9 inches and his figure was almost similar to that of the previous year. He had remained slim and had by now accepted the fact that he maybe he would never fill up as much as he would like to. But all in all, he was happy with the way he was.

Turning his head away from the girl and looking out of the window again, his thoughts wandered to the events of the past few days in the trunk and outside it.

&&&&

Only 8 days remained before the trip back to Hogwarts (according to the trunk's timeline) when Harry had decided it was time to talk to the D.A. members. But before he could do that, he had to talk with Dumbledore as he required the headmaster's consent to carry out his plan. He decided that now was the right time for it.

"How are you sir?" Harry asked. Dumbledore was seated in his office, lost in some deep thought, when the head of Harry Potter popped out of the fireplace.

"I am fine Harry." Dumbledore said with a smile. "How are you doing? Your school starts soon so you won't be able to escape me for much long." The eyes of the headmaster seemed to twinkle uncontrollably as he said these words.

"I am fine sir and I don't plan to escape again for the time being." Harry said with an acknowledging smile.

"So Harry, how is the D.A. doing?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry looked at Dumbledore for a moment wondering for the umpteenth time as to how this man knew everything which happened. He had come to discuss the D.A. and Dumbledore had brought up the topic before he could even mention it. Resigning himself to being unable to understand the skills of his headmaster, he said "Sir, I wanted a favor regarding the D.A."

Dumbledore looked at Harry as the twinkling in his eyes reduced a bit. "Go on" was all he said.

Harry then explained what he had on his mind. For the first time Harry told Dumbledore that he planned to distance himself from his friends which pained the experienced wizard greatly. He went on to explain why he had asked Moody to work for him and how the D.A. had developed into a reliable team of fighters. Harry then explained a plan which he had in mind. After he finished his explanation, he waited for Dumbledore's answer.

"Harry, I don't want you to live like this." Dumbledore didn't seem happy at all after hearing Harry's plan.

"Sir, either it is what I say or it is nothing at all. You know that if I don't give my consent then the D.A. can disintegrate quickly. I am trying to strengthen it sir and I want it to be done it this way." Harry said in a voice which held conviction.

Dumbledore sat thinking for a few moments and then said "Ok Harry. Though I would have preferred a better way out, I won't let my opinions hamper your plans."

"Thank you sir. Hopefully both of us will stand vindicated." Harry said with a grateful smile as the head in the fire withdrew leaving a concerned looking Dumbledore behind.

&&&&

"HARRY" Neville shouted when he saw his friend sitting in a room. Cho, who was with Neville, seemed very excited and nervous but managed to control the impulse of shouting out Harry's name.

"No need to shout, Longbottom" came the gruff voice of Moody from behind. "Take a chair each, will you?" Moody pointed out the chairs to both Neville and Cho.

Neville and Cho both sat down on their respective chairs. They were still a bit stunned at the turn of events. They had a great lunch today after having finished the last events of their training when Moody had said he needed to go for sometime. Moody had been gone for about an hour after which he had returned and asked Cho and Neville to meet him at his office. After reaching the office of Moody, their unofficial professor went on to explain that he had gone to attend a meeting with some 'important' people and those people had wanted to meet these two of them in person. This statement had astonished both Neville and Cho but Moody didn't explain anything more to them except for the fact that they would be going to the meeting in about an hour's time. As Cho and Neville left the office, a silent Moody waited for his next call from Harry, all the while thinking "How the hell did Potter manage to convince Dumbledore into this?"

Now that both Cho and Neville had arrived at the place of the meeting, they understood that one of those important people was their friend Harry. But the person who sat in front of them on the other side of the round table seemed nothing like the person they had known. He had both of his eyes trained on the two people from the time since they had popped into the room with the help of the portkey Dobby had provided to Moody. Also, he had not even acknowledged Neville which was quite surprising to both the new guests.

But then, as they looked on, they wondered whether this was really the person they knew. The eyes of the person in front of them were steely and his face was hardened. No expression could be detected on his face. He had his eyes trained on each of them for a few minutes before finally saying something.

"Neville. Cho." he said with a slight nod of his head. The lack of emotions on his part was quite discomforting to both Neville and Cho while Moody looked on as if there was nothing wrong in his behavior.

"Potter" Moody growled "When will the other person be here?"

Before Harry could make an attempt to reply, a cheery voice revealed that the last person required for this meeting to commence had indeed arrived "Am I late?"

Both Neville and Cho shot up from their seats as they saw that the new person entering the room was none other than their headmaster. "Sir, nice to see you." Neville said as Dumbledore smiled at both Neville and Cho.

"Hello Neville. Seems like you have got a new wand and a very interesting one at that. Alastor here tells me that you have made great progress in dueling." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling brightly but not as much as they normally did. It seemed quite clear to Moody that Dumbledore hated Harry's idea of this conversation as much as Moody himself did.

Blushing slightly Neville said "Sir, I didn't progress because of myself but because of all the help I received from Harry and the other D.A. members."

"You didn't receive any help from me" Everyone turned to look at Harry as he finished off his statement.

"Of course I did Harry." Neville said with a stunned expression on his face. "I didn't know a thing about dueling before you taught us last year."

"You always…" At this point Harry was cut off by Dumbledore.

"I think we should get down to business. I have an important meeting at the Wizengamot soon." Dumbledore's statement ensured that no disagreement ensued between any of those present, at least not till he was here.

Once everyone was seated in their respective places, Dumbledore started the proceedings. "We have gathered today to discuss the future of the D.A.". At the alarmed looks from both Neville and Cho, Dumbledore went on to explain a bit more.

"I want the D.A. to make it ready for protecting Hogwarts always. You will have all our support though I can't say the same for Professor Snape." Dumbledore said with a slight chuckle "But I have enough faith in you to know that you will find ways to avoid the people who need avoiding."

"But sir" Neville spoke up. "What exactly you want us to do?"

"Neville, dark times are upon us. I want the D.A. to be always on the alert. There can be attacks on Hogwarts or the Hogwarts Express or Hogsmeade or any place you can think of. So, I want that for the time which you spend at your school, kindly protect us whenever necessary." Dumbledore finished humbly. Both Neville and Cho blushed at this statement from Dumbledore.

"Sir, we will do whatever we can." Cho said timidly.

"Yes sir." Neville added confidently "Now that we have Harry with us again, we will be a tough force to reckon with." The fervor in Neville's voice was unmistakable. Dumbledore cast a sad glance at Neville and then looked towards Harry. Harry's face, on the other hand, betrayed no emotion as he kept silent.

"Yes, yes, that's why we are here today" Dumbledore said with a sigh. "We are here to discuss the future of the D.A. _without_ Harry present in it."

"WHAT?" Both Neville and Cho shot up from their chairs. "The D.A. without Harry is unthinkable." Neville was quite close to shouting.

"Sir, may I?" Harry asked Dumbledore for permission to speak, who just nodded with a sad look on his face. He knew that Harry was going to play with a double-edged sword and no matter whichever way the discussion went, it was Harry who was going to be the final loser.

"Neville" Harry spoke with a hardened voice. "I can't be with the D.A. anymore. I have some…problems."

"Harry…" Cho seemed breathless as she spoke "…if this is due to what happened last year with Marietta then I apologize to you on her behalf. In fact, Marietta herself wants to apologize to…"

"Cho, this isn't about some individual. I don't have any hard feelings about Marietta. If I had been in her place then maybe I would have done the same thing." Harry explained to Cho as Dumbledore silently looked at Harry. Harry had surely matured more than he could have asked for and he seemed quite calm as he tried to explain his decision to his friends.

"What I meant was…" Harry continued "…that I am not ready to be a part of a group after what happened last year. Neville was with me and he saw how my godfather died. I am still not over it and I will do more harm than justice to the D.A."

"But Harry, you are our leader." Neville stepped in.

"Yes Neville. I had almost led you guys to death not to mention my godfather. I am really a great leader." If someone had thought that Harry's voice couldn't harden more, then that person was grossly mistaken. "Look Nev, everyone has to make an important decision someday and I am making it now."

"But why leave us Harry?" Cho still couldn't come to terms with the fact that Harry won't be there in the D.A. after she had herself voted for Harry to be the leader last year.

"Cho, I am still not over some things and I need time. If I get over my mental blocks then maybe I will rejoin the D.A. once more but for now I know that I can't be part of it."

"But why did you have to say these things to us?" Neville protested at the injustice being dealt out to himself and Cho. "Why not to all of the D.A.?"

"Because…" Harry paused for a moment "…I wanted to talk to the leaders of the D.A."

"WHAT!" Cho looked absolutely shocked at this.

"Yes. I had informed Professor Dumbledore and Professor Moody of my decision not to be part of the D.A. anymore now. It was then that they came up with the suggestion of making you people the leaders." Harry lied. In fact, it had been his brain-child to make the people with the highest scores the leaders (based on the tournaments organized for the D.A.). He knew that if he mentioned that it was Dumbledore's and Moody's idea, then no one in the D.A. would object to it and there would be no chance of any person having any problems with the _new_ leaders.

"I…uh…" Neville looked helplessly towards Moody and Dumbledore but realized that they had agreed to this decision. "Harry, the others won't…I won't…" Neville trailed off as he looked Harry straight in the eye.

Harry knew that it would be hard to convince his friends but this was turning out to be more difficult than his earlier estimates. Inwardly he felt sorry for pushing Neville and Cho into a situation where they would have to explain Harry's decision to everybody else in the D.A.

"You won't what Nev? You won't take the leadership? You won't be able to take it or are you afraid to do so? About the others, well…I don't know about that. I didn't take the decision to make you the leaders but from what I have heard from Professor Moody, you two are the best in the D.A." Harry replied and then turned towards Cho "Cho, I would like you to help and trust Neville as much as you can." Cho nodded at this though she couldn't decipher the meaning of Harry's words.

"Neville, Cho, Harry, please sit down. Standing unnecessarily doesn't help, does it?" Dumbledore said. When everyone had reclaimed their lost positions around the table, Dumbledore started to speak to the two newly appointed leaders.

"Yes, I along with Alastor decide to make you the leaders as we saw in you the leadership qualities the D.A. needs." Dumbledore glanced at Harry before continuing "Also, we wanted a combination of courage with brains." Both Cho and Neville blushed at this "We know Neville has lots of courage and you are not a step behind the others when it comes to using your brains Cho. We had to decide between you and Hermione but we want you to help Neville because then only the balance will be better."

"I agree with that." Moody spoke for the first time since Dumbledore had walked in. "You two can do a good job and if you remember what I have taught you then I know you will be able to save yourselves from getting fried by a death-eater". This kind of praise from both Dumbledore and Moody left Neville and Cho blushing and searching for words.

"One more thing…" Dumbledore caught the attention of the others "The D.A. isn't just about fighting. I want you to show respect to everyone in your school, and if possible, even to the people who might hate you. You never know when some of your kindness may actually come in handy for you later on. Why don't you start involving Slytherins in the D.A. and make a group of say, Junior D.A.?" Dumbledore's twinkling was almost back to his normal level but to the trained eye, something seemed to be bothering him.

"Maybe sir…" Cho said "…it would be an excellent thing though we would like some other name for the group." She finished off meekly. At this Dumbledore smiled and said "Whatever you like Ms. Chang. This old brain can't think up of many things nowadays."

"And keep your eyes open for trouble, even on the Hogwarts Express." Moody chipped in.

"Well, since everything here has been taken care of, I think I should be going now." Dumbledore said, rising from his seat. Everyone said good-bye to him and Dumbledore wished them a safe journey to Hogwarts. An uneasy silence ensued which was broken by Moody.

"Potter, I have to go now." Turning towards Cho and Neville, he handed each of them a round marble "If you press these here (Moody showed a black spot), then these will take you back to my office. Come back when you are done here." With that, Moody pressed used his own portkey to return to his office.

"Harry" Neville asked after a few moments of silence had passed. "I am sorry for your godfather."

"It's ok." Harry replied.

"Why Harry, why?" Neville suddenly stood up, his voice rising a bit. "You really can come back, you know."

"Cho, can you excuse us for a moment?" Harry asked politely. Cho nodded and was about to get up when Harry stopped her. "Stay her. Neville and I can talk in the adjoining room." For the first time, the other occupants noticed that there was another door just behind where they were sitting. Harry escorted Neville to the second room and started to speak more freely.

"Look Nev, please don't force me. I won't be coming back…not now. But I have a proposition for you." Neville looked perplexed at this but gave an affirmative nod. "Neville, you know that my scar hurts at times, right? Well, this scar hurts whenever Voldemort does something horribly wrong. I can sometimes understand what Voldemort is going to do. C'mon, there's no need to flinch at his name." Harry said in desperation.

"Sorry Harry, but you know about my mom and dad." Neville said in a whisper.

"Neville, that's the reason Dumbledore picked you. You have to ensure something like that never happens to anyone else. You have to do it, not for yourself but for your parents. Your parents never feared him. Do you think they would like their son to fear his name?" These words seemed to have an astonishing effect on Neville. His face hardened in a resolve which he didn't specify to Harry. Seeing an unmistakable glow in his eyes, Harry said "At least, don't flinch at his name even if you don't want to say it."

"I won't flinch ever again" came the short reply. Satisfied with the answer, Harry continued from where he had left off before. "So you see, sometimes I can tell what he is going to do. At those times, I will try to warn you if I can but you'll have to trust me. You will have to use the D.A. to stop whatever he is trying to do."

"I will trust you Harry but I really don't think I want to be the leader. I mean…" Neville's doubt in his abilities had overtaken him again. One look at his face and Harry knew he would have to give him what he didn't want to give. Harry thought for a moment and came to his decision. He knew that Neville had all the qualities required for a leader and Cho had all the brains they would require. Together they would be a great combination and would be able to lead the D.A. amicably. Harry decided that if he had to force them into this decision, then he would do so.

"Neville, you can do it. I know you can. And I will offer you something in return for leading the D.A. along with Cho." At this, Neville cast a questioning glance towards Harry. "I will give you Bellatrix."

"What do you mean?" Neville's voice had become quite angry at hearing the name but Harry knew that the anger was not directed towards him.

"Look, I know what she did to your parents. She also killed my godfather. So, you can say, that both of us want revenge from her. But if you lead the D.A., then I will give up my claim on her. She's all yours when we face her." Harry finished off. This had been very hard for him to say since he himself wanted to finish off Bellatrix but he knew that Neville had a greater claim on her. He also knew that what Neville lacked was not talent but self-belief and he was sure that this 'offer' of his would make Neville desperate enough to conquer his fears. Patiently, hoping he had been right in assuming everything till now, Harry waited for the reply.

"Promise?" came the astonishing question from Neville instead.

"Promise." This promise from Harry caused an unforeseen change in Neville. The glow in his eyes seemed to brighten and he pulled himself up to his full height. With an aura of confidence about him, he looked at Harry and said "I will do it."

"Thanks Nev." Harry said as he started to escort Neville back to the room where Cho was still present. Just before he opened the door, Neville stopped Harry.

"Harry, I will wait here. You have a talk with Cho and then send her here so we can go back." Harry nodded at this and opened the door.

"Where's Neville?" Cho asked as soon as Harry came in.

"He's in the other room. He'll come once we finish. Cho, do you have any problems accepting Professor Dumbledore's decision?" Harry came straight down to the most important question on his mind.

"Doesn't look as if I have much choice here, does it?" came the return volley towards Harry. Harry smiled inwardly as he understood that Cho had figured out that they would be forced to do their duties.

"I don't think so." Harry replied. He didn't ask any further questions and neither did Cho. The uneasy silence was at last broken by Cho.

"How are you doing Harry?" Cho asked. Harry took a moment to understand that she was referring to how he has been dealing with all the events of the past year.

"Fine." came the reply. Not knowing whether he should say anything more or not, Harry decided it was best to stay quite.

"Actually, I…ummm…"

"You what?" Harry prompted Cho though he had a feeling that this could lead to something undesirable.

"I wanted to…uh…apologize for the way I behaved last year." Cho was looking at her hands as she said this. "I was trying to find Cedric in you but I failed. I failed because Cedric can't be you and you can't be Cedric. I mean…what am I saying? I am not making any sense." Cho looked quite embarrassed at the moment. To tell the truth, Harry himself was bowled over by the fact that Cho had managed to say the truth so bluntly.

"You are making sense." Harry said calmly which caused Cho to look up again. For the first time today, Harry's voice sounded like what she knew it to be like. Yes, his voice was now changing, which was quite natural at this age, but the tone of the voice was like that of the person she knew. "You were having a difficult time and wanted to hold onto something. I am sorry to say this but I think we both got our priorities mixed up last year."

"Yes, I think so…" Cho said as her gaze returned towards her fingernails. Harry started squirming in his seat and was thinking about what would come next when Cho spoke up again.

"Harry, do you think we can give it a try this year?" Harry looked into Cho's eyes and saw the hope…and the fear of rejection in them. He felt very deeply for her as he knew that he had had similar feelings and fears when he had himself asked out Cho before, how he had felt so helpless when he had heard that Cho was going out with someone else and how he had felt elated when she had consented to go out with him last year. He knew that accepting her offer was not possible because he himself had not been able to understand his feelings truly but he also knew that rejecting her would cause immense pain to her. Thinking for a moment, he decided that nothing could be gained by lying and it was better that he told her the truth as best as he could.

"Cho, I want to say something more than just a yes or no. I am not quite sure if I am ready for a relationship now. I am also getting over the death of my godfather and I am trying to sort out some of the things in my life. I cannot say 'yes' to you because…" Harry paused for a moment as he saw that Cho had lowered her face and Harry thought he had seen tears in her eyes "…because I am not ready for it. You know how hard it is to get over someone's death…" Cho nodded her head "…and I don't want something like last year to happen again. I just want to be sure about whatever decision I take so that no one is hurt in the future." Harry finished his explanation.

"I understand." Cho whispered back almost instantaneously which surprised Harry. "And I really appreciate the fact that you were so honest with me."

"Wrong Cho." Harry's words caused Cho's face to snap up. "I wasn't being truthful to you; I was being truthful to myself. At the end of the day, when I look at myself in the mirror, I won't have to explain to myself as to why I tried to mislead someone into believing something which I myself am not sure about."

"All the same, thank you Harry." Cho said as she got up. "I don't know whether we can ever get together again or not, but I would really like us to be friends…always."

"Hopefully." Harry said as he shook her outstretched hand. He then led her to the adjoining room and said goodbyes to both of them as they portkeyed back to Moody's office. Harry turned back and wished away the room and its contents. He now had an even bigger task to do and an extremely angry person to deal with. With a deep sigh, he resigned himself to his fate.

&&&&

"What do you mean he is not coming back?" Zacharias Smith was the first to get back his voice after Neville and Cho had finished their explanation.

"You heard what he said. Professor Dumbledore seemed to agree with him on his decision." Cho explained.

"But he formed the D.A. and he is our leader." Ginny said in desperation.

"We know." Neville spoke on behalf of all those present. "But he said he wants time to get over things which had happened in the past year." Hermione nodded her head at this while Ginny gave an evil glance at Cho. Cho, coincidentally, had been looking towards Ginny and immediately lowered her eyes.

"Did he say he will come back after he has got over his problems?" Hermione asked.

"Don't know Hermione." Neville said. "I asked him the same thing but he didn't answer it". Hermione didn't say anything at this but the bewilderment on her face was similar to those of the others.

"Now what are we going to do? Did he say what we should do? Will Dumbledore be our leader from now onwards?" came the question from Anthony Goldstein.

"Do you think that Dumbledore has no other work?" came the gruff voice from behind Anthony who looked startled. "Dumbledore won't be leading you; it will be Longbottom and Chang."

"What?" Ginny cried out. She didn't have any problems with Neville but Cho was a different proposition. Also, she just couldn't picture herself taking commands from Neville who was of a very submissive nature.

"Yes. You have any problems with that?" Moody's magical eye seemed to pierce Ginny who didn't voice her opinion.

"Look you lot…" Moody knew he would have to do some explaining and he wanted to spare Neville and Cho getting into an uncomfortable position. "Longbottom and Chang are amongst the best students here and they respect you as much as you respect them. Dumbledore himself wants them to lead you and Harry has specified that he doesn't have any objections to it." Seeing that everyone around wasn't making much of a noise, Moody added "Their being the leader doesn't mean that they will order you around. It just means that whenever it comes to getting the group together or finalizing a decision taken by _everyone_ in the D.A., they have that power. It is just a way of saying that they will be responsible for every dumb decision you guys make."

The last statement from Moody broke the tension in the air as many of the members laughed out loudly. No one could still think of anyone other than Harry as their leader but they were happy with the stop-gap arrangement. Even Ginny and Ron gave their approval on the issue. Slowly but surely, both Neville and Cho felt more confident about their new found positions.

In the remaining days, the other members of D.A. were informed by Neville and Cho about how Dumbledore wanted the D.A. to function. Initially there had been protests about involving Slytherins in the D.A. but later on everyone decided that a junior body of the D.A. would be formed which will indeed contain 10 members from each house. They decided to name this body as the Apprentice D.A. (A.D.A.) as no one could come up with a better name.

Also, it was decided that the D.A. would take on the responsibility of maintaining peace between different house members at Hogwarts. For this, Cho and Neville drafted a letter to Dumbledore specifying the need for powers to the D.A. so that they are able to ensure that no unwanted trouble breaks out. It was then decided that the letter would be handed over to Dumbledore on 2'nd September.

Soon it was time for everyone to say goodbye to each other. Each wished the other a safe 2 days period after which they would meet on platform 9 and ¾. Moody was the last one to leave the place with the help of one of Harry's numerous portkeys. As he left the place, the only thought in his mind was "Potter, your wish has become a reality."

&&&&

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU MAKE ME DO THAT?" Remus and Harry were cowering in a corner as Tonks started shouting at Harry the moment he came into view. "DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS TO DO WHAT I DID? THOSE GUYS DESPERATELY WANT YOU IN THEIR MIDST AND I HAD TO PULL YOU AWAY FROM THEM."

Casting a look at Remus, who had a pitiful expression on his face; Harry gathered enough courage to speak out "You agreed to the plan before hand."

Tonks looked a bit guilty at this statement as she knew that she had agreed to one of Harry's most stupid plans (at least, according to her). When Harry had come in about 2 hours ago and said that he had a plan in his mind, she had been all ears. He had explained that he had talked to Dumbledore and Moody about appointing Neville and Cho as the new leaders and Dumbledore had agreed to it. He also said that to convince his friends, he needed the help of Tonks.

On further questioning, Harry revealed that he wanted Tonks to change into Dumbledore because Dumbledore was too busy to come today, added to the fact that Harry didn't want Dumbledore to come here. Tonks had rejected the idea at first but Harry had refused to give in. She was his only hope to succeed, Harry told her. After about an hour's argument, in which Harry explained that both Dumbledore and Moody knew about this plan and had approved it, she had finally given in.

But what Tonks had not expected was to encounter the fierce opposition from Neville and Cho. It was clear from the very first that both of Harry's friends couldn't think of the D.A. without Harry as their leader. Tonks hated sitting in that room and tearing away Harry from his friends. Tonks had almost decided that she would leave the room in the middle of the argument but she had been unable to bring herself to do it. After all, she had given her word to Harry and she couldn't back out now.

"Harry" Tonks said sternly "You know how they feel. How can you do this to them? They count on you and you are trying to leave them on their own?"

"They are no longer children, Tonks. They have to learn to believe in themselves." Harry replied "I had followed Dumbledore's advice blindly for 5 years and look what I have got in return. I want them to judge for themselves as to what is correct or wrong."

"But Harry…" Remus interjected "…you are not like Dumbledore and you won't do what he did."

"Really Remu? You think so?" Harry said in a scornful tone. "What if I change tomorrow? What if I think I want to make them do whatever I want? You can never be sure, can you?"

"But Har, they love you." Tonks anger had vaporized by now. She knew that she couldn't let Harry do all this; at least she wouldn't give up without a fight. "They need you."

"No Tonks, they need their self-belief. They need each other to help themselves." Harry retorted. "And they are getting quite good at it."

"Harry" Remus spoke up again "You are one of their 'each other' group" he said, referring to Harry's earlier statement.

"Sorry Remu, I _was_ part of their 'each other' group". Harry was almost getting impatient now.

"But Har…" Tonks threw up her hands in desperation but Harry cut short whatever she was about to say.

"Tonks, we had this discussion before also." Harry's voice had a bit of edge to it. "I know what I am doing and this is what I have decided to do. If someone doesn't like it then it's their problem". Hearing this, Tonks looked quite shocked and stomped off a moment later. Remus too shrugged his shoulders and went off to his room leaving a frustrated Harry behind.

An hour after the incident, Harry was sitting alone in his room when someone knocked on the door of his room.

"Come in" Harry called out. "The door's open". As the door opened, Harry saw that the person in the doorway was Tonks. Tentatively she entered the dark room in which she could make out the silhouette of Harry sitting on his bed.

"Hi" Tonks said. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Don't know." Harry replied. "Just felt that I needed some darkness around to find the source of light." Unable to understand what Harry meant by his statement, Tonks quietly took a chair which had appeared near Harry.

"I am sorry" Tonks said, gazing towards the floor.

"Sorry? For what?" came the question from a puzzled Harry.

"For meddling in your life and decisions" Tonks replied.

"It's ok. You guys were not meddling; you were trying to show me the way which you feel is right for me. I don't have any problems with that." Harry replied quietly

"But every time you take a decision like this we seem to be coming in your way, isn't it?" Tonks queried.

Giving off a short laugh and wishing for some light in the room, Harry said "I am an adamant person when it comes to decisions. You guys can try as much as you want but once I have made my decision, no one can change it."

"Yeah" Tonks said with a sigh. "Remu said pretty much the same thing about you."

"Don't worry Tonks" Harry said calmly. "I won't get lost in the maze of the decisions my life is forcing me to take"

"Where did you learn all this?"

"Learn what?"

"To talk like that. Dumbledore seems to have rubbed onto you." Tonks said to a smiling Harry. Sitting in the silence for a few more moments, Tonks said "You are angry with us, aren't you?"

"Cut it off, Tonkie." Harry said. "I can't get angry with you guys."

"But Harry, I will still say this is not the right thing to do." Tonks was a bit hesitant but when Harry didn't stop her, she added "I mean, you are pushing away everyone you like."

"Temporarily" Harry corrected her before adding "I am not pushing away you guys, am I?"

"But these temporary things could permanently change your life."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked curiously.

"Cho" Tonks said in a whisper, almost afraid that Harry would shout at her.

"What about Cho?" Harry asked, knowing fully well what was coming towards him.

"She likes you. All the time you were talking to Neville, she was looking at you with an expression which can have only one meaning." Tonks described her observation of Cho.

"Well….yes…I had a talk with Cho…" Harry trailed off as he said this.

"And?" Tonks had a strange expression in her eyes as she prompted Harry.

"…I said I was not ready for a relation now. She understood and asked whether we can remain friends and I said yes. That's it." Harry explained, not taking his eyes off the ground in front of him.

"What? You said that to her?" Tonks looked astonished "God Harry, you are terrible with girls. A good-looking girl comes up to you and you refuse her as bluntly as possible. Dear me!"

"Well, that's the way it is. You like it or not, I will stick to my decisions" Harry said with a mischievous smile on his face. Tonks didn't say anything in return but looked angrily at him.

"Well, I think I should talk to Remu" Harry finally said as he got up. "I shouldn't have behaved like I did today." With that, Harry left the room leaving a thoughtful Tonks still seated in her chair.

Remus and Harry then had a nice little talk. Remus explained that he understood the reasons of Harry's decisions but even though he didn't approve of them, he would support Harry to the best of his limits. Harry thanked him for understanding but not before he had received a 'punishment' for his behavior – to cook that evening's dinner for everyone which he happily did, much to the disappointment of Dobby.

&&&&

"So, should I resign now or do you want to drain me of the few sickles I have left?" Minister Fudge asked his well-wisher. He had received a letter that morning specifying the time of the appointment and he had to cancel a press conference to attend this _urgent_ meeting.

"You still have a few left?" came the question in a mocking tone "I didn't know that. Thanks for the information." Fudge shuddered slightly at how easily this boy could turn things in his favor. Also, he was silently cursing his big mouth.

"So, what is it going to be today?" Fudge asked, not able to hold onto his patience any longer.

"Don't get impatient Minister. I was thinking of a deal with you." Fudge's well wisher took a seat as he said this.

"Deal? Oh yeah, another of your one-sided deals, right?" Fudge asked sarcastically.

"Wrong again Fudge." Harry corrected him. "You are always wrong, don't you think so?"

"Does it matter what I think about anything here?"

"Right on that point. You do get some of the thing's right, don't you?" Harry replied.

"Well, get on with it, will you?" Fudge said angrily.

"SHUT UP FUDGE." Fudge cowered as he saw that his well wisher had jumped up from his chair and was pointing his wand towards him. "I am the one who gives orders here, not you."

"S…ss…soo…sorry, I…uh…didn't mean to sound…that way." Fudge said, the expression of anger on his face replaced by one of deep fear.

"Good." Harry said, resuming his seat. "So, the deal I was talking about has something for you too." At this fudge's eyes lit up. "You won't have to resign."

"WHAT? I won't have to resign?" It was like music to his ears, it was like a dream come true and it was beyond anything he could ever have wished for.

"No. But I want something in return."

"Yes…ask, just ask me and I will give it to you." The grin on the face of Fudge was growing larger by the minute.

"Don't get too excited Fudge, it won't last much longer. I want you to for a Council of Wizarding Security which will compromise of the topmost wizards and witches of England." Fudge's smile faltered a bit at this but he quickly seemed to be calculating something in his mind.

"Ok." Fudge said after a few moments "I know just the right people for the council."

"Wrong again Fudge, I will give you the names of the wizards and witches who will be in the council." Fudge seemed disheartened at this statement as he knew that he wouldn't be able to use _his_ people in the council.

"You will also be there in the council." Harry continued. "Here is a list of people whom I want it the council." Harry handed over a parchment which had the names of 6 people in it out of which 3 were in the Order, another 2 were in the ministry and the last one was Fudge himself. Fudge was looking grimly at the list but seemed to draw some hope from the fact that there were 2 people from the ministry in it. At least, if it came down to the option of voting on some policy, he would ensure that the other 2 voted along with him.

"Now, listen to me carefully. You miss one of my points and I will go straight to all the news agencies in England." This effectively made Fudge more attentive than usual as Harry dictated a list of what he wanted to be done.

"As you can see from the list, Albus Dumbledore is on the top. He will have the power to take decisions in emergency situations. In other cases, the council will come together to take a decision. Whenever it comes down to voting, you will hold back your vote till the last moment. If it is a 3:2 voting scenario, then you will adjourn the meeting for 10 minutes and talk to me regarding the situation and I will tell you which side you should vote on."

"WHAT!" Fudge exclaimed but quickly lowered his voice. "You mean that I won't have any power at all?"

"Correct." Harry said with a smile. "No power at all. But I will have the power…" Harry paused before continuing "…through you." Knowing that arguing with this kid was out of question, Fudge decided that it was best if he did what the kid wanted him to do.

"So, how do I contact you?" Fudge asked. At this, Harry provided him with an old looking sickle.

"Whenever you want to contact me, press on this side of the sickle and I will know." Harry explained. As Fudge nodded his head in understanding, Harry went on to explain the rest of the points on his agenda.

"Now, you will be my informer in this council. Every week, you will leave a letter with Mr. Tevrid at Gringotts." Fudge's ears perked up at this because it was a well known fact that goblins didn't like working for others. Obviously this kid had to have very high connections. "Also…" Harry continued "…in case of an emergency, you will use the sickle I gave you and will meet me here in 5 minutes time after you use the sickle. Understood?" Fudge nodded his head.

"Good, now the last point." Harry said. Fudge's face seemed to brighten up at this. At least, all he had to do was form a council to keep his ministry position and it didn't seem that bad to him. "I forgot to mention what the workings of the council will be". Fudge gulped visibly at this statement from a smiling Harry.

"The council will be the ultimate authority in England regarding the fight against the dark forces. It will have total control over the aurors and its decision will be final. Also, it will have the authority to overrule the Wizengamot, if the situation arises." Harry finished off with a smile.

"But that's impossible. The ministry is the supreme authority here." Fudge cried out.

"Fudge, do you want to remain the minister or not? You like getting your salary?" Harry asked in a menacing tone leaving no doubt as to what would happen if Fudge didn't follow his instructions. Fudge blinked stupidly for a few times and then gave an affirmative nod.

"I will do what you want." Fudge said meekly.

"Good. I want this done by September 1'st." Harry said as he got up to leave.

"But…" Fudge started to speak but then stopped as his well wisher didn't even acknowledge his words. "Oh well, at least I get to remain the minister." This thought brightened him up a bit.

&&&&

"HARRY, YOU WILL BE LATE." Tonks shouted at the top of her lungs. It was September the 1'st and Harry was still practicing with a double. The shout from Tonks broke his concentration and he got hit by a leg-locker curse. Sensing that Harry didn't want to fight anymore, Harry's double performed a quick counter-curse and vanished.

"Tonks, why did you have to shout like that?" Harry asked as he got up.

"You are getting late, that's why." Tonks replied.

"No, I mean why did you shout and not perform the _Sonorous_ charm? Or you could have just wished for your voice to be heard by everyone and the room would have granted your wish." Harry said with a mischievous smile.

Now that Tonks thought about it, she felt a bit stupid. "I…uh…"

"No need to stutter." Harry interrupted Tonks. "I am letting you go this time".

"Oh…" Tonks said regaining a bit of her composure. "How sweet of you my dear Harry Potter, the great Harry Potter, the migh…"

"Excuse me, but are you Tonks or are you Dobby under the Polyjuice potion?" Harry queried though he wasn't too sure whether the Polyjuice potion worked on elf's or not.

Damn, Tonks muttered under her breath. Knowing that she had put her foot in her mouth again, she quickly diverted the topic to another one. "Never mind, you have to get ready now or you will be late for the train."

"Ok." Harry knew that there was no time left for fooling around and decided to get ready for his school. "You get out of this trunk now. I have to shrink it." With that, Harry got ready and came out of his trunk.

Harry then proceeded to let Hedwig out and asked her to be on the train when he got there. Tonks said that she would come into the trunk later that night along with Remus and Harry assured her that he would have the trunk enlarged by then. Harry then asked Dobby to meet him in Hogwarts, which the house-elf readily agreed to do.

Taking a last look around the place which had been his home for the past 6 weeks, he went over to the tapestry and touched the place where his name was and said "Harry James Potter". After the house had returned to being a shack, he took out a portkey and arrived at platform 9 and ¾ with an hour left for the train to leave.

&&&&

"There is our great hero" Harry heard the distinct voice of Ron announcing his newest discovery. From the amount of footsteps which he heard, he knew that there were at least 3 or 4 people with him whose identities were not too difficult for him to guess. Even though he had heard Ron speak out, he kept looking out of the window of the Hogwarts Express which was now passing a area which had mountains on one side and a deep gorge on another side.

"Harry" He heard Hermione calling out to him. Knowing that he couldn't ignore them any longer, Harry hardened his face and turned around to face Ron, Hermione, Ginny and a dreamy Luna. Hermione sat down beside Harry while Ginny took the seat opposite to him. Luna was inspecting the window sills of the train with great interest while Ron took a seat beside Ginny, his face fixed in a scowl which would have given Moody a run for his money.

"You…you look different." Hermione said after a moment of observation. Harry didn't reply and just kept surveying the people around him.

"Yes" Ginny said. "What about your glasses? I didn't notice it that day when you had flooed to Gri…you-know-where."

"I corrected my eye-sight." Harry replied, while Hermione gave him a strange look.

"Corrected your sight? But that is a very ancient spell, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

"Yes" Harry replied.

"Oh Harry, so nice to see you again." Luna said in a sing-song tone as if she had noticed Harry for the first time today. Harry didn't reply but nodded his head in acknowledgement. Ginny and Hermione snorted at this but Luna didn't seem to care about them.

"What is all this about?" Ginny said a bit impatiently. "You didn't even talk to us at our makeshift 'home'. From when did you become so quite?"

"From the day Sirius died." Harry replied in a cold voice. Silence reigned after this sentence as this had been what Hermione had predicted during their D.A. lessons. But it was puzzling for even Hermione as to why Harry still hadn't been able to get over Sirius. It was Ron who broke the silence.

"What's the deal mate? Why are you acting so strangely?" His voice seemed to indicate that he was quite angry. "You seem to be ok with Remus and Tonks but you don't even speak to us. You didn't even write to us."

"Sorry." Harry maintained his monotonous but cold voice. "I was busy reading all the letters you had sent me." This had the desired effect on the rest of them, except for Luna. Ginny, Ron and Hermione had not sent a single letter to Harry in the summer but, truthfully, Harry didn't mind that fact. He knew that they had been busy with their own lives initially and then they had a very busy training schedule. To say he was angry would be false.

"We are sorry Harry" Hermione said after a few long seconds. Harry didn't respond to her and turned to look out of the window.

"Look Harry, don't say you are angry because of us not sending you letters." Ron said aggressively. "Even if that is the case, it is no justification not to come to the D.A. lessons." Getting no reply from Harry, Hermione chipped in "Ron's right Harry. Why did you leave us?"

"I didn't leave you." Harry said, his gaze fixed on the landscape outside. "I just didn't join you."

"But why Harry?" Ginny asked. She had to get some answers out of him.

"Because I didn't feel like it." Harry replied.

"But Harry, we need you." Hermione said.

"Hermione…" Harry turned to face her. Hermione gulped as she saw that Harry's expression was similar to what she had seen in the fire at Grimmauld Place. "I think there is no point in continuing this conversation. I don't want to talk about it and that's it."

Hermione opened her mouth once to speak but closed it shut again. She had a look of utter disbelief and hurt in her eyes which pained Harry to no end. Still Harry didn't reveal any of his emotions to those present.

"See what I told you." Ron shouted at both Hermione and Ginny. "I told you that the Boy-Who-Lived didn't care for us anymore now. You two were too dumb to believe me. And you people think I am dumb, ha!"

At this, Hermione gave a glare towards Ron while Ginny gave him a nudge in the ribs. Luna had returned to her inspection of the window-sill and didn't seem to have heard anything. Harry, on the other hand, maintained his cold demeanor and went back to looking outside the window. After a few minutes of angry whispering between Ron, Ginny and Hermione, Ron stomped off leaving Ginny and Hermione behind. Hermione looked uncomfortable while Ginny also squirmed in her seat.

Finally, realizing that Harry wasn't in a mood to talk, Hermione got up and said "Harry, we are going to our usual seats in the 4'th compartment. If you find time then please join us." The last sentence was more of a request to Harry. Without getting any reply from Harry, Hermione gave a deep sigh and went out of the compartment followed by Ginny and Luna.

Harry heard the footsteps die away and sighed in relief. He had managed to make his friends go away without having any argument. Before coming onto the train, he had made a promise to himself that he would try to avoid arguments with his friends and he had succeeded in doing that. Silently he hoped that he would be able to succeed in his objective in the coming months also. He sat there contemplating what Remus and Tonks had said to him in the past few days when he was interrupted by a drawling voice.

"Hello Potter. Saved the world yet?"

"Malfoy, go away." came the reply from Harry who had turned to face Malfoy along with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Potter, we are getting stronger. Join us and you will live." Malfoy made his offer, which obviously had to come from his father.

Harry contemplated Malfoy's offer and said "Ok. I will think about it and write to Voldemort when I am ready." All the three new members of the compartment winced at the name.

"You think very highly of yourself, Potter." Malfoy's voice had changed back to his normal, taunting one. "So much so that you don't even care for your friends anymore."

"Tell me one thing Malfoy…" Harry queried "…when have you cared about Crabbe and Goyle? Have you ever wanted them for anything other than their brute force?"

At this question, Malfoy shifted his body weight from one leg to another and Harry could clearly tell that Malfoy was feeling uncomfortable.

"That's between us Potter." Malfoy said at last but not before Crabbe and Goyle had started muttering something between themselves. "You don't need to think about what we do or not."

"I understand Malfoy. It's just that I was trying to draw the attention of your friends to this little fact." Harry said with a sarcastic smile plastered on his face. "As for my friends, I have none now." Harry wanted to make this point clear to Malfoy so that it would reach the ears of his father.

"None Potter?" Malfoy started his teasing again. "Has the dirt-bag Weasley and the mud-blood left you?". Not getting any reply from Harry incensed Malfoy. "What is the matter, Boy-Who-Lived? Don't have any words to say?"

Malfoy and Harry stared at each other for a long minute before Malfoy finally lost his patience. "We will see whether you really have no friends or not. Hopefully this will be one heck of a year Potter…only if you live long enough". Harry knew that this was an open threat that Malfoy will try to attack his friends whenever possible and he felt quite pleased at the fact. Malfoy was surely in for a big surprise if he did anything like that. Still keeping his poker-face intact, Harry watched as Malfoy and his goons walked away with Malfoy saying something like "…of course I care about you guys…"

With a smile on his face, Harry looked at his watch and found that there was still around 30 minutes left to reach Hogwarts.

"Excuse me." came a timid voice from his side. Taking his gaze off the darkening skyline outside, Harry saw that the girl who had been sitting on other side of the compartment had come over and was standing near him. Now that she was standing so close to him he had a chance to look at her closely. The girl was a bit taller than him and had a womanly figure, unlike many others. According to Harry, she couldn't be more than 17. She had a pretty face and her overall presence was a soothing one.

"Yes?" Harry asked politely as he didn't want to be rude to anyone whom he didn't know.

"Are you Harry Potter?" asked the girl in the same timid voice.

"Yes." Harry said though inwardly he was groaning. Not another Boy-Who-Lived fan, he prayed to whoever was listening to him.

"I see. Can I sit down?" She asked politely.

Harry looked at her for a moment and then answered "I don't own this train so I don't really have the authority to answer that." The girl smiled at this reply and took a seat opposite to Harry.

"I am sorry but I couldn't help but overhear your conversations." Harry didn't say anything at this. "You don't seem to be as famous as they make you out to be." Hearing this statement, Harry felt very glad because he got the impression that this girl had only limited information about him.

"Well, it depends on which newspaper or magazine you have been following. I really don't know if I am more famous or even more infamous." Harry replied truthfully. "But I don't think that my conversations should bother you too much."

This statement gave the girl the indication that Harry had not taken too well to her passing judgments on him without knowing anything about him. Taking the hint, she let the topic drop and introduced herself. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Soha Mentieva and I am from Russia."

"You are far away from your home" Harry stated.

"England is my home now. My father works for a private company and he got posted here." Soha replied. Harry came to the conclusion that her father must be a muggle-born but didn't press the matter because he didn't know too much about businesses in the wizarding world.

"So, you are attending Hogwarts too?" Harry asked the next most logical question.

"Yes. 6'th year. Which year are you in?" Soha asked.

Harry then went on to explain that he was also in the 6'th year. On asked about the houses of Hogwarts, he described the different houses and their specialties. Soha took in each and every detail and seemed to be contemplating which house when would like to be in when the Hogwarts Express ground to a halt.

"Don't worry, the hat will take care of you." Harry said as he got off followed by Soha.

"HAT!!! What do you mean the hat will take care of me?" Soha asked with a frightened look on her face.

"You will see." was all a smiling Harry said in return.

"'ello Harry" a booming voice called out from somewhere behind. Turning back and knowing fully well who the person was, Harry gave a big smile and waved towards Hagrid. Hagrid had been one person whom Harry could really trust and who had been his first friend and there was no way Harry could behave coldly with him. Shortly, Harry entered the last Thestrals-pulled carriage along with a few other students while Soha was escorted by Hagrid along with the first year student.

Once inside the great hall, Harry went over to the Gryffindor table and instead of taking his normal place, went towards the end of the table and sat down. Everyone sitting in the Gryffindor table was looking at him strangely, or rather, everyone except for Ron. Even Hermione and Ginny were surprised by what Harry had done while Ron was furiously saying something to Hermione. For all Harry could make out, he was complaining about how naïve everyone had been and how right he had been in his prediction about Harry. Harry decided that it was best not to listen to what Ron was saying and sat quietly at his place.

Looking around the great hall, Harry saw Dumbledore looking at him. As their eye's met, both of them gave a slight nod at each other. Surveying the teachers table, Harry saw all the familiar faces along with an unexpected, but familiar face – that of Fleur Delacour. Wondering what she was doing here, Harry noticed that a number of students of the other houses were also looking curiously at his new seating arrangement. With a sigh, he got lost in his thoughts.

Soon the new students arrived for the sorting ceremony. The sorting hat sang a song predicting the destruction of the wizarding world unless everyone stood united. Most of the new students looked frightened at this but then proceeded to be sorted. One by one, most of the first years were sorted to their new houses. Harry's mind was not focused on the sorting and he was surprise when a boy sat down opposite to him and said "Harry!"

"Mark! What are you doing here?" Harry asked the kid Mark Evans who had been the object of Dudley's tortures in the park near their home.

"I learnt this summer that I was a wizard. Didn't believe it till I went to that Dragon Alley." Mark said with a huge grin on his face.

"Diagon Alley." Harry corrected him.

"Yes. I keep forgetting it. So, you are a wizard too? I though that you…" Mark trailed off and Harry understood what he was about to say.

"…that I was a criminal and went to St. Brutus, right?" Mark just nodded his head in reply. "Don't worry Mark, my aunt and uncle don't like magic so they said all those things about me." Harry explained to the little kid who was still in the same kind of awe as himself when he had first seen Hogwarts.

"They are so horrible." Mark said angrily. Though Harry couldn't help but agree with him, he felt the need to explain something to the kid.

"Mark, everyone has reasons to do what they believe is correct. They may be horrible in your sense but others might think that they are right. So, unless you know the real reasons for their behavior, don't judge them." Harry felt baffled at his own explanation. He didn't know from when he had started thinking and speaking like this. If truth be told, even a few weeks ago Harry would have done everything to see the Dursley's being tortured a bit, though not at the hands of the death eaters or Voldemort. But over the past 6 weeks, he seemed to think differently.

Harry didn't want any of them get hurt, at least not because of him. He had meditated and had seen his life at the Dursley's from a third person's point of view and he had come to the conclusion that there was _some_ reason for the Dursley's to behave the way they did. Even if there was no logical reason for their behavior, Harry still felt that every person had a right to do what they want. Whether it leads to good or bad, it's their own decisions and they would one day reap what they have sown.

Hearing the name of Soha Mentieva being announced brought him back from his thoughts. He saw the girl get sorted to Ravenclaw and smiled back at her when their eyes met. Harry was once again lost in his thoughts about what Voldemort could be planning when the sorting ceremony finished and the headmaster stood up.

"To the new students – Welcome to Hogwarts. To the older ones – Welcome back. Should I bore you with the details now or should I wait till the feast is over?" Dumbledore threw up the question for a full fledged voting. Within a second, the unanimous decision was clear and Dumbledore announced it. "Thank you for showing this old man the correct direction." This comment led to some laughs from the students. "For now, tuck in."

The whole of the great hall was filled with students who were chattering amongst themselves and eating as much as they could. The first-years had got over their initial shock and were now enjoying one of the most delicious dinners ever while the older ones were also digging in without any reservations.

"So, is this how everyone eats here?" Mark asked Harry as he took a sip from of pumpkin juice. Some of the first year students along with a number of second year ones were in awe of the kid who was talking to Harry Potter as if it was the most normal thing to do. Harry, on the other hand, was quite grateful that Mark didn't know of his celebrity status and went on to give a description of how life was at Hogwarts. Mark looked on in awe as Harry described what he will be learning over a period of 7 years and what Hogwarts hand in store for him when…

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…

Everyone in the great hall stopped eating and started looking at each other. There was pin-drop silence as even the smallest of the items vibrated from some unseen force whose source seemed to be related to the thumping sound. Harry looked up to see a concerned looking Dumbledore whispering something to Snape and McGonagall. At the same time, the wizard radar started thumping near his chest. Harry knew that something was wrong, gravely wrong.

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…

Harry silently took out the wizard radar and was about to open it when he got distracted by an announcement.

"Please stay in this hall." Headmaster Dumbledore had risen from his chair and was addressing the students, some of whom were now talking furiously amongst themselves. Harry looked around to see a smug looking Malfoy staring at him and he understood that Malfoy knew what was going to happen.

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…

Harry then saw something which he had never seen before, tension on the face of his headmaster. Dumbledore seemed to freeze for a moment and then he addressed the students once more "Move away from the doors as much as possible." This immediately led to a rush amongst the students but Dumbledore did nothing to calm them down. Evidently, the danger was too great for slow movement.

Everyone, including Harry, started to move away when…

WHAM

Harry looked around to see the gates of the great hall come down with a crash. Outside stood a group of formidable foes – 2 death eaters and 3 giants. The scenario on hand had just gone from bad to worse to a nightmarish one.

&&&&

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 10'th chapter. I enjoyed my break and was able to fine-tune my planning's for the rest of this fic and decide about the sequel. Hopefully you guys will be able to enjoy this fic greatly.

Hope you like this chapter. If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.

**And all the other guys who reviewed** - Thanks for your reviews. Please know that they are very much appreciated and give me a real kick-in-the-back to continue writing. Also, since this story was taken down once, I will like to inform you that if it is taken down again, I won't continue with it here anymore. The group is hppowerofhogwarts.

&&&&


	11. Giants & Wizards

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 11 – Giants & Wizards**

Harry looked around to see the gates of the great hall come down with a crash. Outside stood a group of formidable foes – 2 death eaters and 3 giants. The scenario on hand had just gone from bad to worse to a nightmarish one.

**&&&&**

Harry looked around and saw everything as if someone had slowed time. At the teachers table, McGonagall, Flitwick and the other professors looked shocked. Even Snape's mouth was hanging open. The students, who had turned around, had stopped running and were staring at the newcomers. Some of the students had managed to get to a relatively safe position near to the teachers table but others were precariously close to the death eaters and the giants. The D.A. members also seemed to be too shocked to move a muscle.

Looking towards the uninvited guests, Harry gulped. The two death eaters wouldn't be much of a problem with all the teachers present but the giants were quite a different proposition. They had been previously told that it took about three or four powerful stunners from powerful wizards to take down a giant and Harry knew he could rely on his professors for the task. But what made this task extremely difficult was that there were 3 giants present out of which two could be termed HUGE. The bigger the giant, the more the force would be required and the more the number of people will be required for stunning it which, in turn, would mean that the other giants or the death-eaters would have more time to wreak havoc amongst the remaining people. Harry had faith in Dumbledore to take down a giant on his own and another one could be taken down by the teachers. That would leave the death-eaters and another giant. As this calculation came to an end in his mind, he gulped again. This was a nightmare.

Suddenly his mind came back to the reality as he heard a single word come out of the mouth of a death-eater "Crucio". Harry didn't notice anything else in the hall as all his focus was on one the first year girl who was in direct line of the death-eater unforgivable curse.

**&&&&**

"Severus, Minerva. You and the others take on the big giant on the left." Dumbledore said in a whisper to the teachers who seemed to be shocked out of their minds. Never in their lives had they thought that such a situation would arise at Hogwarts. But here it was and now they would have to face it.

"Ok" McGonagall's mouth was now a thin line as she knew that she would have to do everything in her power to keep the students safe – even if it meant giving up her life for it. Snape also regained his composure while little Professor Flitwick seemed to know exactly what was going to happen now. Professor's Vector and Trelawney also had their wands raised by now while Fleur seemed out of her wits. Her first evening at Hogwarts after such a long time was going to be an unpleasant one to say the least.

All of the teachers had raised their wands and were about to take on their opponents when they realized they had been too late. "Curcio" was all they heard as a jet of light sped towards one of the new students.

**&&&&**

"Think you fool, think." Neville was telling himself. This was the first time he was facing a situation like this as the leader of the D.A. He knew Cho would be thinking as well as to what to do now. At this moment, he was sure that none of the other D.A. members would envy his or Cho's position. Ultimately, the moment of attack would have to be decided by the leaders. One glance around and he saw that Harry was quite close to the giants. Harry did not have his wand in his hand and this surprised Neville to a great extent. Also, the other D.A. members seemed too shocked and almost none had yet drawn their wands. Giving Hermione a nudge brought her back to her senses.

A wave of nudge's followed around the hall as many of them drew their wands. Neville's eyes met those of Cho's and a silent agreement took place. Cho would attack from the right hand side, where she had rushed with many of the other D.A. members whereas Neville and the other D.A. members would take care of the left flank. All that was now needed was the green signal for the attack. Neville was about to give the signal for the attack when he heard the word which had changed his entire life – "Crucio"

**&&&&**

Harry saw that the teachers were too far away to save the first year girl. In the back of his mind, he knew the D.A. members were also too late to do anything. Knowing that he himself couldn't apparate to save the kid from what would be her most deadly experience, he remembered what he had heard form his phony Professor Moody – "Play to your strengths". A flick of his wrist ensured that the wand was on its way out of its holster. He raised his hand, which was pointed towards the girl, and catching his wand safely in his hand, he said the only words which came to his mind now – "Accio girl".

**&&&&**

A first year slytherin girl was standing relatively near to the giants and the other two hooded wizards whom she didn't know. Her feet were too numb to move even though she knew that her life depended on how fast her little legs could carry her. She didn't know what to do and when she tried to reach backwards to find some support, all she could feel was the walls of the great hall behind her. At that moment she knew she was alone and defenseless.

The girl was about to turn and run when she heard the word which she knew was an extremely cruel spell - "Crucio". Looking towards the person who had said that, her eyes went wide in horror – the jet of light was headed her way and she knew she would get hit. She watched on as the light came nearer and nearer to her. She closed her eyes shut as the light seemed a mere inch away. She felt a spell hit.

**&&&&**

Harry saw his spell had a chance to hit the girl towards whom the Cruciatus spell had been sent. He knew that if his spell reached the girl first, then she would come hurtling towards him and in the process, she would crash in to the many tables which were in the path. Knowing he would have to do something to save her from injuries, he said "Abutor Res Erectus."

This spell from Harry caused all the tables and the other objects to stand upright on one of their sides which, in this case, was the smaller side towards the death eaters. The tables and the benches on which the students had been sitting were all lifted on one of their edges and formed a kind of wall between the death eaters and the others. Harry knew that the spell from the death eater was already too close to the girl for any object to block it. Harry had to constantly focus on his spell to keep the objects in their places and was hoping that his spell would hit the girl first. Hoping against hope, he saw his spell hit the girl. Elated, and knowing what was going to happen, he got ready to catch the girl as she came hurtling towards him.

Harry saw the girl come flying towards him but at the same time, his concentration on the other spell broke. The girl had passed the Slytherin, Ravenclaw and the Hufflepuff tables and benches as they came crashing down but Harry knew she would crash into the Gryffindor table. Harry himself jumped forward towards the girl as she came closer and felt the loud thud as his house table came crashing down. Knowing that he had crossed the danger zone, he concentrated on catching the girl and he did so without too much trouble. Knowing she was safe with maybe a few bruises, he said the thing which came to his mind first – "Run".

Harry saw the girl scamper away as fast as she could and was about to run away himself when he saw Dumbledore standing at one end of the room and pointing his wand towards Harry. Before he could do anything, he saw a powerful streak of light coming towards at him at full speed.

**&&&&**

"Thank god" Minerva McGonagall said as she saw Harry catch the girl safely. As the girl scampered away, she saw Harry lose a few precious seconds as one of the giants seemed to have moved forward. As she looked on, she saw the giant raise his club and strike it down with his full force. At the same time she heard the voice of the headmaster say "Universitas Scutum" and saw a powerful jet of light emit from his wand end.

Hoping that the shields would cover Harry before he was hit, she said a last prayer and did what she had been told – to take on one of the giants. With a fierce yell, unheard of any of the professors in Hogwarts, she attacked one of the giants. The other professors took on her lead and joined her in her attack even as Harry stood in his place, seemingly unaware of the blow which was about to strike him. The fight to save Hogwarts had begun.

**&&&&**

"Harry, move" Ron shouted as he saw the giant behind raise his club but Ron's voice was lost in all the screaming and other noises. He seemed lost about what to do when he heard Neville shout "Forget him and attack the death eaters."

"What do you mean? We have to save him." Hermione shouted.

"I said forget Harry. He'll take care of himself." Neville shouted back. "The other people have to be saved too." With that, Neville shouted off a stunning spell towards one of the death eaters and moved forward. Seeing no other way, the others followed Neville into the fight – a fight to save Hogwarts.

**&&&&**

"Thank god" Cho said to herself as she saw Harry catch the Slytherin girl and urge her to move away. But her happiness lasted only for a second as she saw Harry with his back towards one of the giants who had his club raised.

"Move Harry" Cho said desperately as she noticed a glint of light from the corner of her eye. Realizing that someone had sent a spell towards Harry or the giant, she stood there waiting for the outcome. In another fraction of a second, she saw Neville rush out, with the other D.A. members, and start to attack the death eaters. She knew it was time for their attack and without hesitating, she attacked the remaining giant. Even though she knew that Harry's life meant a great deal to her, she also knew that duty came before anything else. Taking her lead, the remaining D.A. members also started attacking the last giant. The fight had started and none of the D.A. members saw what happened to Harry Potter.

**&&&&**

Harry saw a jet of light speeding towards him. Even at such a great distance, he could feel the power behind it. "What is it? Why is Dumbledore targeting me with a spell?" were the questions which popped up in Harry's mind. Even as he saw the light speeding towards him, he saw a slight movement from the corner of his left eye and noticed a shadow which seemed to be closing in on him.

At that moment Harry understood that the real danger lay behind him. Not liking what he thought was about to happen, he decided he didn't want to be sandwiched between a spell from his headmaster and god-knows-what from his behind. Knowing he still had a split second to react, Harry rolled away from his position knowing fully well that rolling was much faster than jumping away. As he rolled away, he caught a glimpse of a huge club hitting the area where he had been just a split second ago. Dumbledore's spell reached the place just after the club had crashed into the ground. Whatever Dumbledore had tried to do, he had been slower than the giant.

**&&&&**

Soha Mentieva was too stunned for words. She had heard that Hogwarts was one of the safest places but it seemed that whoever had given her that information had been wrong. She was looking at the battle which had just started. She saw Harry save a small kid from a terrible fate and understood somewhat about why this boy was so famous. Though he had seemed quite cold when it had come to his personal life, he had been friendly towards her regarding matters related to Hogwarts. When they had talked on the train, she didn't feel as if she had been talking to one of the most famous person's in the wizarding world. But now, after seeing what he had done, and also how he had escaped the giants blow, she knew that this was what Harry Potter was all about. Her curiosity had peaked and she promised herself she wouldn't make the mistake of judging anyone before getting to know that person.

Even as Soha was looking at how Harry had rolled under the Gryffindor table and turned to face his giant foe, battle reigned in other parts of the great hall. The teachers were having a tough time taking on one of the giants as almost all of their spells got reflected of the giant's body. Snape had been hit by one of Flitwicks reflected spells while McGonagall had barely managed to move out of a spell sent by another professor. Even as the fight went on, the professors seemed to be gaining the upper hand – slowly but surely.

**&&&&**

"Stupefy" Neville shouted as he and the other D.A. members moved out to fight the death eaters. Almost simultaneously, he heard about another 10 voices say the same spell. They saw the death eater say something and a black shield came up.

Everyone of the D.A. instinctively jumped out of the way as their own spells rebounded back. They heard a few muffled cries from behind them as some of the rebounded spells hit other students.

"Rapid fire shields attack" Neville shouted as all the D.A. members with him stood in a straight line facing the two death eaters. This was one of the many moves which they had practiced over the summer. "Universitas Contego" shouted all the D.A. members on the signal of Neville and a shimmering shield of silver color appeared in front of them. This was a shield which blocked most of the spells and also allowed a person to shoot spells from behind it.

"Stupefy" shouted Anthony.

"Prodo Colligo". A spell which bound a persons hand's similar to what handcuffs did was sent on its way by Zacharias Smith.

"Petrificus Totalus" shouted Ron.

"Turbo Caput" Hermione shouted. This spell caused the victim to have a feeling as if their head was spinning, which in turn made them feel the world around them move faster and faster. The death eaters had a hard time evading this barrage of spells but somehow managed to do it.

The D.A. members under Neville split up in two groups to take on the two death eaters. Spells came out randomly from the D.A. members wands. The shields set up by the two death eaters seemed to weaken by the minute.

"Humus Fragosus" shouted one of the death eaters. The D.A. members quickly jumped back as the place where they had been standing caved in slightly.

"Electriano Claustrum" Hermione shouted the spell which caused an electric bolt to speed towards the death eater.

"Aqua Respergo" Neville shouted, knowing fully well that the combination of electricity and water could be deadly. To his dismay, the death eater jumped out of the way of both of them.

Meanwhile, the other death eater had taken on about 4 D.A. members with Ron shifting from one group to another. He was having a tough time keeping out the random spells, some of which were quite basic whereas others were very advanced.

"Fomeus" shouted Lavender, a spell which caused the person to be surrounded by a black colored smoke.

"Arguo Fomeus" came the immediate counter spell.

"Funis Intentio" Luna shouted as a set of conjured ropes shot towards the death eater. The death eater moved out of the way and muttered a quick "Expelliarmus". The spell missed Luna but hit one of the fourth year students who went flying back. The wand of the student hit Luna in the back who didn't even bother to turn around.

By now, the two death-eaters were fighting side by side. They had set up a strong shield with their combined forces and were shooting off spells whenever they got the chance. But facing the onslaught from the D.A. members was proving to be too much for them. Whatever their informant had said, it was not this.

Slowly but surely, their combined shield was getting weaker. They took one look at each other and decided on something. They dropped their shields and headed in the opposite directions. One of them ran behind one of the giants to avoid getting hit by the spells. The D.A. members got slightly distracted by this move whose advantage was taken by the other death eater.

"Avada Kedavra" came the shout which caused many in the room to freeze.

**&&&&**

Harry rolled out to the other side of the Gryffindor table after escaping the giants blow. With his wand out, he looked at the giant who was raising his club again.

"Fervens Aqua" A jet of boiling hot water came out of Harry's wand. Though the water was too hot for a human to survive, it wasn't a big thing for the giants. The water hit the giant in the eye just as he was bringing his club down. This caused temporary pain to the giant which effectively unfocussed him, making his blow fall well away from where he had wanted it to.

"Stupefy" came a voice from beside Harry which he recognized belonged to his headmaster. Harry saw a powerful beam of light hit the giant causing him to stagger back. Taking this opportunity, he moved back a little and called out "Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter" Dobby said in a trembling voice. All the house-elf's in Hogwarts were frightened out of their lives at what was going on and Dobby was no different. Harry quickly took out his trunk from his back pocket and enlarged it.

"Take this to my dormitory as fast as you can. And if Tonks or Remus come back, ask them to join us here." Dobby nodded and vanished with the trunk knowing fully well that Tonks and Remus would portkey inside at the end of the day and it would have been a disaster if the trunk had not been enlarged.

"Good job sir" Harry said as his headmaster hit the giant with another spell which caused the giant to crash into the walls of the great walls.

"Thank you Harry." Dumbledore said. "But I don't think we are finished yet". Harry saw that indeed the work was not at all finished. The giant had got up and was proceeding to pick up his club.

"Accido Res" Harry's spell hit the club and it was destroyed into thousands of pieces. The giant, enraged to see his club destroyed, rushed towards Harry.

"Abutor Volatus Vis". Harry felt the hair on his neck rise as Dumbledore's spell raced towards the giant. The giant took the blow on his left shoulder but managed to retain his balance. From what Harry understood of the spell, its main purpose was to hit someone with great force. Precious seconds were gained by this and Dumbledore made full use of it.

"Harry" Dumbledore said "Go back and see if the others need any help or not."

"Ok sir." Harry said to Dumbledore. He knew that he didn't have to worry about the aged wizard who was more than capable of holding many giants on his own.

"Ferrum Ferratilis" Dumbledore said even as Harry was retreating. Harry saw a number of conjured iron chains bind up the giant. With concern written all over his face, Harry surveyed the scene of the battle.

**&&&&**

"Avada Kedavra". This shout froze many of the D.A. members. Knowing what the spell did was one thing but facing it in reality was quite a different matter. Hermione's eyes widened when she saw the green light emitting from the wand of the death eater. For a second, she thought she was in the direct line of fire until she realized that Ron, who was a few steps to her right, was the one who would get hit.

Suddenly it seemed like someone had cast a silencing charm on everyone. In silence, she saw the green light speeding towards Ron who was too shocked to even move. With a start she realized she had to do something to save Ron. With great agility, she threw herself in front of him and heard Ron scream "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

**&&&&**

As Harry looked around, he saw Cho and her group holding their own against one of the giants. With great satisfaction, he saw many of the other students, including some Slytherins, had come forward and fight alongside them. Even though the giant wasn't as big as the others, he seemed to have a lot of energy and stamina. Ginny was giving able support to Cho. They had divided themselves into two groups – Cho leading one from the left side of the giant whereas Ginny was leading others from the right flank. Slowly the giant seemed to be losing the battle.

Moving onto the other giant, Harry saw Professor Snape take a blow on his face. He crashed into one of the walls and slumped to the ground. Though Harry was pleased that Snape had been hit, he was silently cursing their luck. Snape was arguably one of the better fighters amongst the teachers and they really needed him. Still, he saw the other teachers fighting the giant admirably. He knew that what was delaying the victory of his professors was the fact that they were trying to capture the giant and not kill him. Sighing, Harry checked the scenario of Neville and his group.

Neville and his fellow D.A. members where fighting in a very organized manner. Neville was leading them from the front which greatly pleased Harry. Ron and Hermione were also using their full range of spells against the death eaters. Harry knew that they would be able to defeat the death-eaters if they fought as a team. He looked around to see that most of the students now had their wands drawn and everyone was firing of a spell from time to time. Even though he searched hard, he couldn't see Malfoy, Crabbe or Goyle. He was about to see whether any help was required by anyone when his head snapped towards the direction from which a single word was being said "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO". As he looked on, he realized that he was going to miss one of his friends – dearly.

**&&&&**

Hermione closed her eyes when she saw that her dive had been timed perfectly. She knew that she wouldn't last her first battle of the second war but she also knew that this was the way she would prefer to go. At least, her parents would have the consolation that their daughter died for a good cause. In a split moment, her whole life seemed to pass in front of her eyes – her days in a muggle kindergarten, her first days in a muggle school, receiving the knowledge that she was a witch, the wonderful life at Hogwarts, Harry as her friend and lastly, her first kiss with Ron. She would miss everything and everyone but she felt a strange calm inside her. It was time to move on.

**&&&&**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" This shout caused McGonagall to look around. What she saw made her blood freeze – her best student was facing death. She didn't move as a blow from the giant missed her by mere inches. She didn't know what to do. Almost subconsciously she knew that this time Dumbledore and Harry were not in a position to help Hermione. This time, they didn't have a guardian angel.

**&&&&**

Harry's mind had stopped working when he saw Hermione about to die. All of a sudden, his eyes widened – a solid block of stone had appeared out of nowhere in front of Hermione. The jet of green light hit the block of stone and it got blasted away. Both Hermione and Ron were hit with splinters from the blast but they looked ok. Harry felt relieved; it felt as if someone had lifted a huge rock from his chest. He looked around to see who had conjured the stone block and, for the first time since the battle had begun, his face broke into a grin.

"Tonks!" Harry said to the person who was standing near the teachers table with her wand still raised. Her hand seemed to be quavering slightly but she recovered soon. "When did you get here?" a beaming Harry asked.

"Now…Dobby." was all the explanation Tonks could give. Harry understood what she meant and wanted to thank her but knew now was not the time for it. He made a mental note about giving Tonks a party as she went over to join his professors.

Harry looked back to see that the death eaters were being almost driven out of the great hall gates but yet, they seemed to fight on. The giants also seemed to be losing but they too tried to hang on. This started puzzling Harry as a number of questions started popping up in his mind.

"Why did Voldemort send only 2 death eaters and 3 giants? Why didn't he come himself? Death eaters don't stay for long if they start losing then why are these guys hanging around?" Harry found no answers to these questions. His eyebrows almost touched each other as he tried to solve this mystery. He had seen enough of Voldemort to know that this was not an unplanned one. If something had been planned, then what was it? Why has the full plan not been put under implementation yet?

"Hold on" Harry said to himself. "What if the full plan is really under implementation? What if these death eaters are just…" Harry panicked as his mind raced to conclusions. With trembling hands, he opened the wizard radar and looked around the great hall. Everything seemed ok as all the wizards were been displayed. He even saw the name of Remus coming into view in the Gryffindor dormitory and felt slightly better until his eyes raced to another part of the castle map. Turning the 3D feature on, he saw something which made his eyes go wide.

**&&&&**

"Miss. Tonks, what are you doing here?" Minerva McGonagall was quite shocked to see Tonks firing off stunners from her left side.

"Saving you people" Tonks said in a grim voice.

"You shouldn't…" McGonagall was cut off by a scream.

"TONKS". Tonks looked around to see Harry racing towards her.

"What's the…" Tonks was stopped from speaking by Harry.

"Come on, we have to take the other giant." Harry said as he pointed to the other giant. Tonks eyes widened at the sheer size of the giant and at the prospect of her and Harry taking on _him_.

"Don't worry" Harry said understanding the cause for her alarming look. "Remus is here."

With that, Tonks and Harry raced off to where Dumbledore was fighting a heavily injured giant.

**&&&&**

"Stupefy" came a chorus of shouts from Cho and her fellow D.A. members. They had taken on the smallest of giants who had a not-so-small club in his left hand.

"Aim for his left hand." Cho shouted. "Enqueo Distinguo Castra". A spell which caused a person's body part to be temporarily paralyzed came from Cho's wand. Taking the hint, the other D.A. members shot off the same spell. But much to their dismay, all the spells got reflected from the giant's hand.

Soon a lot of other student had joined them. They started fighting side-by-side with the D.A. though they didn't know about the existence of the group. "Ginny" Cho cried out. Upon getting the attention of the red-haired girl, Cho said "Take some people to the right side and attack. I will attack from the left." Ginny gave a quick nod and asked some of the students to follow her.

The fighting raged on fiercely. The students were having a tough time with the giant. None of them knew how close Ron and Hermione had come to their deaths as they couldn't hear a thing over the din this giant was making with his blows. Finally, Cho understood that this was tiring them out more than the giant.

"Everyone – shoot the paralyzing spell on three." Cho shouted. "One…Two…Three - Enqueo Distinguo Castra". This time, all the spells shot out of their wands simultaneously and hit the giants left arm simultaneously, causing him to drop his club which had been poised for a strike. Enraged at being unable to move his left arm, the giant lunged forward and brought his right arm down fiercely. All Cho could do was watch the arm coming down – right on her.

**&&&&**

"Sir" Harry said as soon as he reached Dumbledore. "Go to your office." Dumbledore looked at Harry in a puzzled manner but soon realized that something was wrong. Even as he fired off another powerful spell towards the giant, Harry completed his explanation "There is another death eater near your office."

"Be careful Harry. You too Tonks." Dumbledore said as he rushed off with a grave expression on his face. Both Harry and Tonks shot off stunners at the giant but the effect was not even close to what Dumbledore had achieved. They had just sent off their third stunner when, instead of two streaks of light, there were three.

"Remus" Tonks said. "Nice of you to join us."

"I don't like it when I am not invited to a party." Remus replied in a serious voice even as a great thud announced that one of the giants had fallen. As Harry looked around, he saw some of his exhausted teachers rush off in different directions to help others. As the cloud of dust settled down in one corner, he saw that the giant who had been fighting his professors was down. "One down, two to go" Harry said to himself.

**&&&&**

Cho looked on as the huge arm came hurtling towards her. She tried to move but her legs rebelled against her. She thought of trying a banishing spell on the giant but knew it would be ineffective. Just as she had given up all hope, a huge hand came into view and threw her aside just as the blow landed. Crashing into a group of students, Cho looked up to see who her rescuer had been – Hagrid.

Hagrid and the giant got engaged in a fierce fight even though Hagrid was about half the size of the giant. What Hagrid lacked in strength, he made up for it with his stamina and heart. He didn't want to lose, rather, he couldn't lose. With Gwarp away, Hagrid had no choice but to take on the giant. And he gave everything in it.

**&&&&**

McGonagall and Professor Vector rushed to the aid of Neville and his group while the others went to the aid of Harry, Tonks and Remus. After a few minutes, a combined shout of "Stupefy" from Harry and his group finally managed to stun the giant. Looking around, Harry saw that Professor McGonagall and the other D.A. members had been able to defeat the death eaters who had finally portkeyed away. He took this as a sign that the death eaters had thought that their work was over. Taking out his wizard radar, he saw that Dumbledore was in his office and the other death eater was not present anywhere on the radar. Finally, he turned to witness the final fight of the evening – a fiery battle between Hargrid and the last remaining giant.

**&&&&**

The giant took on one of the fallen clubs and swung it at Hagrid. Hagrid ducked under it and kicked out with all his might at the giant, catching him in the ankle region. The giant stumbled but somehow managed to regain his balance again but in these few seconds Hagrid had picked another of the fallen clubs. Both of them now stood their ground with a club in their hand, waiting for the other to make the move.

**&&&&**

"Ok guys, lets stun him" Tonks said.

"No Tonks." Harry stopped her, much to the astonishment to the others present. "It's his fight. We'll go if he wants us to." Even the other professors didn't argue with the fact and watched the fight.

**&&&&**

The giant was the first one to lose his patience and he took a step forward and swung his club towards Hagrid. Hagrid brought up his club just in time to block the blow at the same time hit the giant with a powerful blow of his right fist. The giant staggered back a bit but then charged at Hagrid. Hagrid swung his club as the giant approached but the giant blocked it with his left hand. Apparently, the paralyzing spell on his arm had worn off. Hagrid looked stunned for a moment as he realized that the giants club was coming down at full force towards his. The club caught him flush in the ribs and he slid down almost to the edge of the great hall.

Hagrid got up clutching his ribcage. The giant watched Hagrid get up and charged at him again. This time Hagrid waited for him to attack. The attack came, a fierce blow aimed at his head which Hagrid barely managed to avoid. He took this opportunity and swung his club at the giant's legs. The giant jumped and Hagrid missed. As soon as the giant had got himself away from Hagrid's reach, he gave a fierce grunt. Hagrid also got up and grunted. Both of them gave a war cry. The onlookers, stunned into silence by this fierce battle, understood one thing – the next attack from each of them would be their final ones. Everyone moved back as much as they could.

The giant raised his club and started swinging it. Hagrid, on the other hand, remained calm and composed even though many of his ribs had been broken. The giant was now swinging his club with fierce power. With an ear splitting cry, he rushed towards Hagrid who had his back towards the wall. Hagrid saw the giant come and got ready for his attack.

The giant reached Hagrid at full speed and swung his club right towards his ribcage. Hagrid had been prepared for this and flattened himself to the ground. He knew that the power with which the giant had swung the club would force him to make a full turn of his own body. As soon as he felt the club move away, Hagrid got up to his feet and swung with his full force at the giants head.

Crack. The sound was heard by each and every person in the hallway. The giant stumbled and fell to the floor, giving a full view of what damage Hagrid had caused. Almost all of them felt sick and a few threw up. In front of them lay a giant with his head cracked and giving them a full view of his brain tissue with the blood making the view even worse.

**&&&&**

"VICTORY" cried out Neville as soon as he saw Hagrid strike down the last of the giants. Soon everybody joined in the chorus of victory shouts. Everyone knew that this was their first victory over the dark side and they felt elated beyond description. All the D.A. members had surrounded Hagrid and were dancing around him. Even though Hagrid himself was in great pain, he also joined in the victory dance with a style of his own. Everybody seemed to be enjoying the moment and even McGonagall smiled at the antics of the others – a truly rare thing.

Harry took out his wizard radar for one last time to check whether everything was ok or not. The only movement he saw was that of Dumbledore coming towards the great hall. Apart from that, there was no sign of any death eater nearby other than that of Snape. He closed his radar and smiled – a smile of relief and joy. He hugged both Remus and Tonks and all three of them were jumping up and down when, all of a sudden, Tonks and Remus felt Harry's body stiffen. The next thing they knew was that they were pushed back and Harry, with his eyes closed, shuddering under some kind of force.

**&&&&**

Harry jumped and hugged Remus and Tonks. Even after this gruesome battle, he felt as happy as the time when he had caught the snitch for the first time. He knew that this victory meant a lot to everyone though he still had to ask Dumbledore as to what a death eater was doing near his office. That could wait for later, Harry said to himself, but what he saw next made his mouth dry and his pulse started beating at a rate he had never known before.

**&&&&**

Professor Snape had regained consciousness just as Hagrid had smashed the skull of the remaining giant. "Giants" he muttered to himself with loathing in his voice. He looked around and saw the others starting to dance around Hagrid. With a look of disgust in his eyes, he started to get up. Instantly his body told him that there were now more than 206 bones present in it. He gave a groan and somehow managed to stand. He started to head towards his dungeons when he noticed something which the others had failed to do – the giant who had been stunned by McGonagall and the other professors was moving.

With horror filled eyes, he saw the giant sit up and grab his club. Snape tried to lift his wand but his arm didn't seem to be pointing in the direction in which he wanted. He shouted to the others but no one seemed to hear him. He saw the giant stand up and raise his club when, thankfully, many of the professors finally noticed him. The professors shot off stunning spells but all of them rebounded off the giant. The giant then started to bring his club down on the nearest group of students who had finally noticed his presence. All of them saw a huge club coming down upon them and knew they had no chance of survival.

**&&&&**

Harry knew there had to be some way to stop the giant. But how? He knew Dumbledore would still take some time in coming down by which the massacre would have been done. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a limping Snape desperately trying to shoot a spell at the giant but failing to get his aim right. He knew that all that was needed was a shield (which would stop solid materials from passing through) to protect the students but none of them seemed to be in a position to do so.

Acting on a hunch and a gut feeling, he pushed away Remus and Tonks. Harry then tried something which he had never tried before – he tried to setup a shield over the students with the help of his glove. Mentally picturing the effect, he found that he had been successful in setting up the shield which had the property to resist any solid object from penetrating it. All Harry could do now was to wait for the blow.

**&&&&**

Remus saw the giant bring his club down with a fierce gutso. The power behind it was that of a persons (or a giant's) final attack. He saw the blow come down but, miraculously, it stopped inches above the heads of the students. The keen eyes of Remus revealed a few tiny sparks which were unnoticeable to the others. The giant raised his club again and stuck another blow. It was then that Remus felt Tonks tug at his arm fiercely.

Looking around, Remus saw that Harry was standing with his eyes closed, as if he was meditating or thinking deeply about something. But his thinking seemed to quaver every once in a while – the timings of which matched with that of the giants landing blows on the students. Remus understood that somehow Harry was protecting the students. How – to this he had no answer.

**&&&&**

Harry felt the first blow land on the shield and felt the shield cracking. He had never before setup such a huge shield, let alone the fact that it was far away from his body. He concentrated harder and the shield seemed to repair somewhat. Then he felt the second blow land which was even stronger than the first one. He felt the shield almost break apart and he knew that the giant would have felt 'something' give way.

Perspiring heavily, Harry concentrated harder on the shield. This time he put all his mental and magical power into it. Somehow he knew that his magic would help him and he didn't hesitate in using it. The third blow came but the shield held. Harry knew he had to hold on even as the fourth blow hit the shield. He felt his shield giving way under the brute force of the giant. He had to hold on a bit while the others managed to take down the giant. Just a bit more, just a bit more, Harry kept saying to himself.

**&&&&**

Everyone looked on in wonder as the blows of the giant were obstructed by some unseen force. The teachers kept firing stunning spells but even they were tired and their spells didn't have the amount of power they wanted to put into it. No one noticed the deep concentration in which Harry was as he was coincidentally blocked from view by Tonks and Remus.

"Remus, what should we do?" Tonks asked as Harry's face betrayed another emotion of pain as the giant landed another blow.

"We have to wait." Remus replied calmly.

"But…but look at him. What is happening to him?" Tonks was on the verge of crying.

"I think he is stopping the blows" Remus replied.

"But how?" Tonks eyes widened at this piece of information.

"I don't know" Remus replied, his voice very grim. "It's my guess."

"But…we…" Tonks could say no more as she broke into silent sobs as more perspiration broke out on Harry's face.

**&&&&**

Harry put his entire mental strength into the shield as the fifth blow fell. He didn't even know that almost half of the students had moved out of the danger zone. He also didn't know that the giant had also become obsessed with breaking the invisible barrier which was blocking his every blow. At the sixth blow he felt the shield crack a bit.

"Hold on Harry" he muttered to himself. At the seventh blow, Harry felt the cracks widen. Even as he tried to mend it, he wasn't able to do it. He didn't know what to do and as the eighth blow landed, he felt the shield almost shatter. Putting his last effort into the shield, Harry stood waiting for the blow which he knew would break the shield. It came and the last thought which passed Harry's mind was "Sorry I failed you". He knew no more as blackness covered him.

**&&&&**

"Harry, you did a great job"

"You think so dad?" Harry was again in the great white hall which seemed to have no boundaries.

"Yes dear. Both your mom and I think you showed great bravery." A smiling James Potter told his son.

"Harry" came the sweet and soothing voice of Lily Potter. "You have taken on enough burdens. Do you want to carry on?"

"I don't have a choice mom." Harry told her dejectedly.

"Everyone has a choice, my sweet one."

"No mom. I don't have one."

"You also have one Harry" his dad told him. "It's up to you to take it."

"But I don't see the choice dad." Harry said desperately.

"You will dear" his mom replied. "You will see the choice when the time is right."

"I agree with your mother" James said. "We have to go now Harry. Stay well."

"We love you son" Lily Potter echoed the sentiments of both the parents. "We will always love you in whatever you choose to do."

"I love you too." Harry said, with a single tear rolling down his cheek.

**&&&&**

"I THINK HE IS COMING BACK". This shout from Tonks brought both Remus and Dobby to Harry's bedside. Looking down on the form of Harry, they saw what looked like tears running down his face.

"Is the great wizard Harry Potter crying?" Dobby asked in a tearful voice himself. Remus and Tonks didn't reply as they too were wondering what was happening to Harry.

**&&&&**

It had been one frightful moment when Harry had collapsed to the ground during his 'virtual' fight with the giant. Luckily for everyone, Dumbledore had arrived the moment Harry had collapsed and he had taken out the severely wounded giant with one of his most powerful spells which left scathing burns all over the giants body.

Seeing the state of Harry, Dumbledore had rushed him to the hospital wind where Madam Pomfrey informed them that Harry had had a tremendous flow of magical energy in to his mind and it seemed like he had used up almost all his magic to do 'something'. According to Madam Pomfrey, Harry was hanging onto a very tiny thread and what kept him alive seemed to baffle her. Patients in these cases normally didn't live but somehow Harry was managing to hold onto whatever he had.

Madam Pomfrey had said that Harry needed medication and rest for at least a week before she could give another report on his condition. Tonks and Remus had then insisted upon taking Harry with them but Madam Pomfrey would have none of it. It was only after an hour of arguing that Harry would receive the best of treatment that they finally managed to convince Dumbledore to let Harry come with them. Madam Pomfrey, seeing that she had no chance of keeping her favorite patient in the hospital wing, finally relented under the condition that she would be allowed to inspect his condition daily. Tonks and Remus relented knowing that the time spent in the trunk would be more than enough for that. Using their portkeys, they safely escorted Harry to the 5'th compartment and had used the medication, which was provided by the room, with great efficiency.

**&&&&**

"Harry, do you hear me?" Remus whispered. It had been 3 days in the trunk since Harry had been injured and Remus did not want to cause any untimely revival. A groan ensued from the mouth of Harry which caused all of them to smile. He was coming back after all.

Another wait of 30 minutes seemed like an eternity to Tonks. She had seen Harry take on each of the blows of the giant and knew that they had been very painful. Though his body didn't reveal the bruises of the giant's blows, Madam Pomfrey had said that his mind was in disarray and would need some time to recover to its full strength. From what both Tonks and Remus had heard, they couldn't help but appreciate how Harry had saved a small girl (_He saved a Slytherin? Tonks had been shocked_). Remus and Tonks didn't know what it was but the more they saw of what Harry was doing, the more they grew closer to him.

"HARRY!!!" Tonks was drawn out of her thoughts by a groan from Harry. Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and saw 2 persons and an elf looking at him with concerned filled eyes.

"Hello guys." Harry said with a weak smile. This seemed to brighten everyone up with Dobby starting his excited popping for the first time since Harry had come to Hogwarts.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked.

"Ready for…" Harry stopped in his reply as he remembered what had happened. "How many?" came his question.

"How many what?" Remus asked.

"How many died due to that last giant?" Harry's voice was quavering as he asked this. One part of him wanted to know the answer to this while the other part of him was frightened to death at what the reply would be.

"None" Tonks replied in a gleeful voice. At this, Harry gave the broadest and most satisfied grin he could manage before falling asleep again, much against his own wishes. The strain had been too much for him and he needed more rest.

**&&&&**

"Hello Tonks, hi Remus" Harry said on the sixth day in his trunk. Tonks and Remus had just returned from an emergency meeting of the Order and the first thing they did was to check on Harry.

"Hi Har. How are you feeling now?" Tonks asked.

"I can take you on in a duel if you want to" Harry replied. Remus smiled at this – his godson was definitely back.

"No thanks" Tonks replied promptly. "Dobby" Tonks called out.

"What is Harry Potter's Tonkie wanting?" Dobby asked as soon as he popped beside Tonks.

"Did the great wizard Harry Potter take his medication timely?" Tonks asked with a smile.

"Yes. Harry Potter's Dobby making Harry Potter take his medicine." Dobby replied before adding timidly "Even though Harry Potter finds medicines tougher than bad giants." At this Harry smiled sheepishly at a glaring Tonks while Remus said "They really make those medicines terrible to drink."

"But they are for our own good" Tonks snapped at Remus. Remus said nothing in reply as he knew Tonks was right. He gave a wink at Harry before proceeding to his own room. Tonks also said a quick 'see you' as she went into her room to freshen up.

"Dinner" Dobby announced soon after. Harry, Remus and Tonks sat down to have a delicious dinner. After finishing it, all of them went by the fire and started to have a nice conversation when Remus turned to Harry.

"Harry, how did you stop the giant's blows?" Immediately Tonks shut up her mouth and turned to look at Harry.

"Remus, is it really important?" Harry asked, not wanting to reveal the secret of his glove. He knew that telling Tonks and Remus about the glove was not a problem but, somewhere deep down, he didn't feel like sharing this piece of information.

"No" Remus said instantly. He didn't want to breach Harry's privacy without Harry's consent. Tonks also went back to gazing at the flames which never generated more heat than necessary. Looking at their faces, Harry felt rather sad and started staring at the flames. After a couple of minutes, he looked up.

"What I am about to say to you and show you is one of the most important things in my life right now. No one is to know about it." With that, Harry touched a tiny green spot, which seemed more like a pimple than anything else, on the inside of his forearm. Both Tonks and Remus's eyes went wide at what they saw.

**&&&&**

8 hours had passed since the battle in the great hall which now bore no signs of it. Dumbledore had an emergency meeting of the uninjured staff members in his office and it was decided that classes would be suspended for the day. After that, Madam Pomfrey went on to describe the situation at the hospital wing of the school.

"Hagrid has broken all his ribs and his left hand is fractured. He is expected to recover by tomorrow. Professor Snape has broken both his arms and his right leg is also fractured. Added to that, Professor Snape's ribcage is also badly damaged. He will take at least 2 days to recover. All the other minor cases have been taken care of though I don't know anything about Potter" she finished off. Dumbledore thanked her for the service she was providing to the school as Madam Pomfrey went back to her patients. After another hour of discussions, only Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were left in the room.

"Albus, what was this all about?" McGonagall asked.

"Another trick of Tom's" Dumbledore replied.

"What trick?" McGonagall queried. "If this goes on, then he will be at our doorstep on any day."

"No Minerva." Dumbledore replied as he adjusted his glasses. "You know that Tom can't come here. We can't afford him to get here."

"But the danger is too great" Professor Flitwick spoke up.

"I know and I am taking the necessary precautions" Dumbledore replied to the experienced charms teacher. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go and address the students." With that, the headmaster left his office.

**&&&&**

"Hello Madam Pomfrey" came the greeting in a cheerful voice. Madam Pomfrey, who was going through some files with her back towards her office door, seemed to freeze as she recognized the voice which greeted her.

"Mr. Potter" she said in a stern voice as she turned to face Harry. "You should be in bed now. I knew they would mess up."

"No one messed up anything" Harry said with a smile. "I have recovered and I have come for your examination."

"Recovered?" Madam Pomfrey asked, her voice betraying her shock. Regaining her composure she said "Ok, we will see to that."

A smiling Harry lay down on a bed as Madam Pomfrey completed her checkup. Even though the school matron was shocked, she was happy for the fact that Harry had indeed recovered a lot. According to her, he needed to stay careful for the next few days so as not to use too much of his 'recovering' magic. Harry promised that he would follow her instructions and thanked her for all she had done.

**&&&&**

"Where's Harry?" Neville asked Hermione when she found no trace of heis friend.

"Don't know" Hermione said. "I saw him being taken to the hospital wing last night but didn't see him afterwards."

"Was he ok?" Ginny asked as she joined in the conversation.

"He didn't seem to be but I myself couldn't remain awake long enough to see properly." Hermione replied. She, along with Ron, had been admitted for her injuries caused by rock splinters and all that she had seen was Harry been brought in before falling in a dreamless sleep.

"He sa…" Ginny was unable to complete her sentence as a tall, girl with bluish hair came towards them.

"Sorry to interrupt you but have you seen Harry Potter?"

"And you are?" Ginny asked coldly.

"Soha Mentieva" came the reply.

"Sorry but we don't know where he is" Neville replied in a civil manner.

"Oh. Is he hurt?" Soha asked.

"Yes" Hermione said. "We think he is hurt"

"I am sorry to hear that. Thanks for the information." With that, Soha walked back to the Ravenclaw table.

"Isn't that the same girl who was in Harry's compartment?" Ginny asked as she saw Soha walk back to her place.

"Yes" replied Hermione. Before she could continue any more, she saw Dumbledore enter the great hall. At once, everyone became silent.

"I don't know whether saying 'good morning' would be the right thing to do…" Dumbledore began "…but what I can really say is WELL DONE". The whole hall broke into applause with even a few Slytherins joining in. "Yesterday was one of the most defining moments in the history of Hogwarts. Yesterday evening reinforced the fact that Hogwarts is impenetrable but mind you, a building cannot be impenetrable by itself. Hogwarts is impenetrable because of its occupants and yesterday the young generation stood up and showed that it was ready to carry forward the responsibility." Another round of applause followed.

"Since the events of last evening dragged into the early hours of today, I think all of you stand to gain some points." Furious whispers went round the hall at this. None of them had even thought that they would get points for what they had done yesterday but now the prospect seemed very exciting.

"To Slytherin, for showing that they are not at all different than any of the others and for fighting side-by-side with the others, I give out 200 points." The Slytherin table broke out in applause while the others remained still. Everyone seemed astonished as one single clap seemed to come from a place other than the Slytherin table and looking round, they located the source – Neville Longbottom. Slowly but surely, more and more people started to clap and soon, the whole hall was clapping for the Slytherins who themselves had been shocked into silence. A smiling Dumbledore raised his hand to silence everyone.

"To Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, I again award 200 points each." All the houses, except a minority of the Slytherins, broke out in applause. "Now for some individual points". Everyone waited with baited breath for the next announcement.

"To Cho Chang and Virginia Weasley, I award 25 points each for their extraordinary efforts" Both the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables broke out in applause. "To Neville Longbottom, for his presence of mind and decision making, I award 25 points." Soon Neville was rubbing his back as all the Gryffindor's within reach had thumped him on the back.

"To Hermione Granger, for her out-of-this-world action which can come from only a single emotion…" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even as Hermione blushed deeply "…I award 50 points." The Gryffindor table broke out in applause again as they knew they had got a huge head start for the house cup.

"Last but not the least…" everyone went silent as some guessed what was coming "…to Harry Potter, who is unfortunately ill an…" Exactly at that moment Dumbledore stopped as he saw who had entered the great hall – a fit looking Harry Potter. He smiled at Harry who returned the gesture.

One small clap broke out from the Slytherin table and everyone looked around to see that it was the same girl whom Harry had saved. Soon, the applause started getting louder and louder, much to the irritation of Harry who didn't like all this attention. Dumbledore put up his hands to stop everyone but found no one co-operating with him. As Harry walked towards his 'new' seat, more and more people stood up. Finally the applause died when he had taken his seat.

"You can thank your gods that Professor McGonagall isn't here otherwise she would have taken points from all those who refused to listen to me" Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling madly. A round of laughter followed this and even Harry couldn't suppress a smile.

"Well, for saving the life of a new flower in the garden of Hogwarts, I award 100 points to Harry Potter". The applause which followed this announcement was beyond description. Almost everyone joined in, with some minor exceptions from the Slytherin table. Even Ron came up to Harry and congratulated him. All the while, Harry kept on thanking those who came up to shake his hand or to thump him on his back.

"Please be gentle with him or you will have to explain your actions to Madam Pomfrey." Another bout of laughter followed this statement of Dumbledore. By now, all the teachers, with the exception of Snape and Hagrid, had joined Dumbledore on the teachers table.

"Now, I do have a few start of term notices to hand out. The forbidden forest is strictly forbidden for everyone though…" Dumbledore glanced at Harry before continuing "…many people don't think so. I will only say that one of our previous ministry appointed staff members is still at St. Mungo's for not understanding the meaning of the word 'forbidden'." Many of the first year students were astonished at the fact that their seniors started laughing and clapping at this.

"Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has kindly asked me to remind all students that there is to be no magic in the corridors and that the list of forbidden objects now covers all the astonishingly creative things produced by Weasleys Wizard Wheezes." There was a collective groan at this. "Also, Quidditch tryouts will take place in the second week of term, and all those interested in participating should see Madame Hooch, our flying instructor and Quidditch coach." This announcement cheered up many people.

"You will also be delighted to hear that Professor Snape will be your new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher." Another round of groans. "We have a new teacher amongst ourselves who is known to many of the senior students. She is Professor Fleur Delacour and she will brighten up the potions classes for you". Many of the boys seemed to be chatting excitedly at how informative the potion classes will be while the girls looked at them in disgust. Harry, on the other hand, understood why he had been allowed to take potions in spite of not getting an 'O' in potions.

"Professor Delacour has just completed her apprenticeship in Potions and has successfully submitted her thesis. Professor Trelawney has joined us again and she will take Divination as usual. Professor Firenze will be the healing teacher for the 6'th and 7'th year students." It was now the turn of the girls to drool and the boys to get jealous.

"The last piece of information is that today's classes…" Dumbledore paused as he saw the faces of all the students drop "…are cancelled." This caused an uproar in the hall. Everyone was speaking as to how they would spend their day when Dumbledore spoke again. "Before you do anything, please collect your class schedules from your house heads." With that, Dumbledore sat down to start a late breakfast.

**&&&&**

"Damn" Ron said as he got her class schedule. "Double DADA with Slytherins"

"Look on the bright side, we have double potions with Ravenclaw. At least, we will have some fair competition this time." Hermione said, not noticing the disbelieving look which Ron gave her.

"Yes" Neville added. "I think I will be able to pass potions after all."

"What does Harry have?" Hermione queried as she saw Harry sitting in the corner of the common room and checking his schedule.

"The same thing which you must be having" Ron replied. "But you might have more classes than all of us put together" he added after a moment of thought. Hermione blushed at this and said nothing. As everyone started to relax on their first full day at school, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Harry over the summer which had caused him to change so much.

**&&&&**

"We did it." A jubilant Cho informed the D.A. members who had been called for an emergency meeting in the Room of Requirements. Neville was also beaming along with Cho.

"We have been assigned the task of looking after security measures of the castle" Cho continued. "Also, we have the right to stop any fight and if someone disobeys our legitimate orders, we have the right to take off points from them."

"Great" Ginny exclaimed. "Now we can put that Malfoy in his righteous place."

"No Ginny" Neville said. "Nothing is going to be done on a personal basis. But yes, I agree with the fact that Malfoy will be docked points whenever he crosses the line."

"Which will be very often" Anthony added from behind and the others agreed with him.

"Also, we will have to prepare the A.D.A. for which we can put up notices around the castle" Cho carried on from where she had been interrupted. "Also, if we want to patrol the castle, we will have to submit a schedule beforehand to the headmaster." Cho finished off.

Soon the D.A. decided that patrols would come later on. The A.D.A seemed to be the primary objective and they decided to hand over notices to each of the house heads. They also made a charter of discipline measures and the number of points to be docked for each measure violated. The meeting lasted for over 2 hours after which everyone was finally able to go off to enjoy the 'holiday'.

**&&&&**

"May I come in Professor?" Harry asked at the entrance of the staff room where McGonagall was seated.

"Yes Mr. Potter" McGonagall replied.

"I wanted to say something to you. I won't be playing quidditch again." Harry said.

"WHAT?" Professor McGonagall shot up from her seat. "Do you know what you are saying?"

"Yes ma'am." Harry said. Professor McGonagall was seething with anger at what Harry had said. Almost all of the main players of the Gryffindor team had passed out and their two beaters had dropped out of school and now, their seeker had just come up and was giving in his resignation. But Professor McGonagall then noticed something she had never seen before in Harry – there was a deep sadness in his eyes. She then realized that this had been a very tough decision for him to make as the whole school knew that Harry loved nothing better than catching the snitch.

"Is this your final decision Harry?" McGonagall asked in a softer voice.

"Yes ma'am. But I would also like to ask you for a favor." Harry said. McGonagall gave an affirmative nod at which Harry continued "I don't want anyone to know that you wanted me to be the captain. Can you ensure that?"

"Ok Harry." Professor McGonagall understood that Harry had thought deeply about this matter.

"Thank you Professor" With that, Harry left the room.

**&&&&**

September 2'nd passed away in a blur. Harry went to his bed in the dormitory not feeling like going into the trunk. Thinking about what had happened in the past day and a half made him feel mentally tired. He meditated for about 20 minutes before finally going to sleep. Soon he found himself in a dark dungeon.

"You failed me Wormtail" Harry heard himself say.

"M…Ma…Master…The others didn't gi…give me enough…time" Wormtail said in a trembling voice.

"I don't like excuses" Harry's thought his voice seemed very cruel but he couldn't find a way to change it.

"I won't fail again master" Wormtail replied in a whisper.

"Just make sure you remember your promise" Harry said as Wormtail bowed before him. "I almost forgot Wormtail..." Harry said as he raised scaly fingers which held a wand made of yew wood and a phoenix core "…Crucio"

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 11'th chapter. I don't know whether I have been able to match the fight sequence of Azkaban (chapter 6) but I did try a lot.

If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.

**Important Note:** I have finally decided on the finale. I have come up with a solution which is quite unique. And yes, Harry won't kill Voldemort using either love or hate (will Harry kill Voldemort? scratches his head). That's not the secret as many say. At least, it's my interpretation. Also, I will explain later on why Dumbledore didn't kill Voldemort in the DoM. It might be in this fic or in it's sequel but the idea has been fine-tuned :D.

**n6uos** – I beg to differ. Harry spent the first 11 years of his life at Privet Drive without his friends. He has to be mentally strong after all.

**TimGold** – I will keep your offer in mind.

**Cyn**** Wraith** – I have been writing this fic around June 24'th thinks. It was taken down for _grammatical and spelling mistakes_. That's why I had to put it up again.

Anyway, all this is being written now. I will start on the next chapter in a few days. It's hard to get enough time in between working hours.

As for the reviews, I am happy as long as those who read it are happy :).

**BferBear** – Grey? Don't know. Haven't thought about it that way.

**Szihuoko** – A false Moody in the fourth year is just a small case. Think about the first book where Voldemort is in Hogwarts!!! What else can I say about the security at Hogwarts? Also, you forgot the troll.

As to why Hogwarts didn't change hands, all I can say is that if Dumbledore had not been there, then who knows…

**skeeter007** – Ok…ok…I am reducing it a lot. After all, I will try to write what you guys enjoy.

**Slacker1** – Don't worry, Mark is not related to Harry here. He is important for Harry in some ways. Wait and watch.

**TuxedoMac** – Since I am writing this from Harry's POV, I won't be explaining things which Harry can't see or verify later. These will be minor and you will be easily able to guess it.

One more thing, the gate of Hogwarts was not broken. Rather, it was the great hall door.

**And all the other guys who reviewed** - Thanks for your reviews. Please know that they are very much appreciated and give me a real kick-in-the-back to continue writing. Also, I have a yahoo group – hppowerofhogwarts.

**&&&&**


	12. Back At Hogwarts

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine J). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 12 – Back At Hogwarts**

"Just make sure you remember your promise" Harry said as Wormtail bowed before him. "I almost forgot Wormtail..." Harry said as he raised scaly fingers which held a wand made of yew wood and a phoenix core "…Crucio"

**&&&&**

Harry got up sweating heavily. He had just had another vision of Voldemort where Voldemort had been punishing Wormtail. As much as he hated Wormtail, he never wanted anyone to get hurt by Voldemort.

Looking around he saw the whole room was still shrouded by darkness. "Lumos" He said as he pointed his wand towards his bedside table where he usually kept his watch before going to bed. It read 1:30 a.m. Shaking his head to get rid of the terrible dream Harry felt drained of energy. He needed more sleep than this night would provide and so he took a marble from his trouser pocket and pressed hard on a black spot on it. The next thing he felt was a short pull behind his navel and he found himself in his trunk. Luckily for himself, he had arrived in the middle of the night in the trunk too and hence, both Tonks and Remus were deep asleep.

Harry proceeded to his room and lay down. He tried to get back to sleep but somehow, even though his body felt tired, his mind seemed to have become hyperactive. Finally, after tossing and turning for over half an hour, he gave up his efforts to sleep and raised himself to a sitting position.

Harry's thoughts were focused on his visions of Voldemort. He had been having these visions for quite a while now but somehow Voldemort had been unable to discover his presence. For a moment he went back to what Dumbledore had said at Grimmauld Place regarding the distinguishing between his own thoughts and implanted ones. He knew that there was only one way to know whether these thoughts or visions had been implanted by Voldemort or not. He meditated.

After an hour's meditation, Harry was sure that these memories were not implanted ones. From what Dumbledore had told him and from what he had read in his books, an implanted memory always made a 'watermark' impression on a particular part of the mind. This part of the mind was the one which created the link between two people's minds. After a thought had been implanted, it went on to intermingle and move freely with thoughts but not before leaving a mild impression. The stronger the wizard, the less deep was the impression of the implanted thought. It took Harry over 30 minutes to locate the exact spot and even though he explored each and every part of that region minutely, he could find no impressions. After that, he came to the conclusion that these were certainly not implanted images.

This further deepened the mystery for Harry. If these were not implanted ones then that would mean that all these events had really taken place which, in turn, raised the question as to how could Voldemort not feel his presence? Being the powerful wizard that Voldemort was, how could he have not detected Harry for so long? Harry was deeply lost in his thoughts and was trying to figure out why he had been undetected when his thoughts shifted to those of Percy.

All he heard from the transmission from Percy's robe button was only related to the ministry. It seemed that nowadays Voldemort was not summoning all of his death eaters but rather, he had given some of them long term missions. From what Harry had heard over the past few weeks, Percy had been trying to gain information regarding ministry officials who were likely candidates for recruitment as death eaters. Also, Percy was trying to gain information about some rumors about some kind of a wizarding security council. Fudge had formed the council as Harry had suggested but had not made any public announcement regarding it. Only those in the council knew about its full powers while the remaining ministry officials were rumoring about 'overturned proposals by someone else'. Fudge usually made all the decisions of the council public in the name of the minister but many people doubted that Fudge would take decisions which were not favorable to his bank balance. Hence the rumors about some secondary force were making the rounds and everyone knew that this mainly referred to Albus Dumbledore.

**&&&&**

"GET UP"

Harry woke up with a start and covered his ears with his hands. Some devilish creature had screamed into his ears and had woken him up when he didn't want to. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw the blurred outline of a person standing in front of him.

"Why did you have to do that pink-head?" Harry said in an irritated voice as he tried to get up. His body protested against any kind of movement and he felt as if his back and neck were as stiff as iron rods. Slowly he remembered what had happened the night before and understood that he had drifted off to sleep in a sitting position.

"It's purple-head today and the end justifies the means" Tonks replied. "And when did you come here?"

"Last night after everyone had gone to sleep." Harry said as he stretched his body. Apparently, he had fallen asleep in the midst of his 'thinking session'.

"And what was the mighty Potter doing so late at night?" Tonks teased.

"I was trying to see if you were alone or with someone else." Harry was wide awake now and was ready to give as good as he got.

Tonks blushed a bit before saying "You should keep your nose out of other people's private lives."

"Unless they start bring their lovers in here and do things…cough…" Harry grinned. Tonks looked at him for a moment before stomping off in mock anger. "This girl will never grow up" Harry said to himself as he got up from his bed and proceeded outside.

"Hey Harry" Remus said as soon as Harry came into view who noticed that breakfast had already been served. "You are late today."

"Yeah. Went to bed late yesterday" Harry replied as he took his seat at the breakfast table.

"Any problems?" Remus asked in a concerned voice.

"No…none at all" Harry replied a bit more quickly than he would have liked to. "Well, the events of the past 2 days were a bit tiresome" he said, not revealing his latest vision of Voldemort. Remus gave an understanding nod as Tonks came and sat down beside him.

"Did you talk to the headmaster?" Tonks asked Harry as soon as she had taken her seat. "About the death eater?" she added fast so that Harry had no confusion as to what he was supposed to talk about with Dumbledore.

"No" Harry said as he took a bite on a French toast. "I will talk today hopefully"

"What do you think he was after?" Tonks asked Harry hoping that maybe he could satisfy her curiosity for the time being.

"Don't know" Harry replied truthfully.

"I think it is best if we wait for the time being" Remus said to Tonks. "Harry should talk with the headmaster when he feels that it is the right time."

After that, the conversation drifted back to general topics. Soon, breakfast was over and Harry went to his room to sort out what he wanted to do. As he made a mental list of what he had practiced till date, he remembered two things which he had ignored quite often – practicing the invisibility property of the glove and conjuring up objects. Making up his mind to concentrate on these two things, Harry set about to make a routine for practice.

The next few days in the trunk went by quite quickly for Harry though the timeline in his trunk was now faster with respect to that of the rest of the trunk. He started practicing with the invisibility property first because he knew that the conjuring part would come up sooner or later in the classes. Now he usually spent around 14 hours a day practicing with the rest of the time spent in meditation. Finally, after over 50 hours of practice, he was able to become invisible for about a minute even though he was thoroughly exhausted after these sessions.

Now that he had tasted some success with the invisibility part, he moved on to the conjuring portion. He had been able to conjure up basic objects before and now he wanted to conjure up more complex objects. After another 2 days, he was finally able to conjure up a three dimensional octagon. Both Remus and Tonks congratulated him on this which made him feel much better.

"Hey, don't you have your classes tomorrow?" Remus asked as they were having breakfast.

"Yeah" Harry replied.

"So, you have all the essays ready, right?" Tonks asked this time.

Harry stopped eating at that. "DAMN" he shouted and dashed off towards his room. Remus and Tonks smiled knowingly at each other. Finally Remus gave a sad smile and said "Just like James".

Harry worked the whole morning and the afternoon on his essays. Finally, at 6 in the evening, he was able to finish off all them. Feeling very tired, all he wanted to do was go to bed but he knew he couldn't. After all, he had a party planned for this evening.

Coming out of his room, he found that Remus was working on something in his room while Tonks seemed to be spending her time in her favorite hobby – sleeping. Slowly, he wished for a new room at the far end of the 5'th compartment and entered it. He called for Dobby and then set about on his work. Finally, about half an hour before dinner, he and Dobby were finished.

"What is that?" Remus asked as soon as he came out of his room at dinner time. At the far end of the 5'th compartment, there was a room which seemed to be glowing from inside in a golden color. At this very moment, Tonks also came out and stood staring at the 'new' room.

"You guys will have to find out for yourselves" Harry replied with a wide grin.

"So you two are ganging up on us two?" Tonks asked in mock anger as she eyed a grinning Harry and Dobby. None of them said anything and kept grinning. Finally curiosity got the better of both Tonks and Remus and they proceeded towards the room.

"Oh…" Tonks said as she entered the room. Remus also stood beside her with a look of awe on his face. The room they had entered had seemed small from the outside but was quite big on the inside. But that was not the thing which had surprised them but rather, it was the decoration of the room.

The inside of the room would have been completely dark without the multiple sources of lights – about 50 candles – floating in mid air. These candles were emitting all sorts of colored lights which gave the room a unique and cozy feeling. There was a table in the middle of the room which had four seats and there were four candles placed in the middle of the table. A small soothing tune from one of the CD's which Harry had bought was playing in the room (the room had provided a magical music player) which gave the room a very romantic atmosphere. As Tonks entered the room (Remus was held back by Harry), a spotlight fell on her. She looked around at Harry and Remus at the doorway and burst out giggling like a teenager.

"What is this about? Don't tell me Remus is also into this?" Tonks asked, still a bit in awe of the beauty of the room. Harry came forward, his hand behind his back, and stopped in front of Tonks. Slowly, he brought his hidden hand from behind his back and Tonks gasped. He had the rarest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen.

"To Tonks, for saving the life of my friend Hermione" Harry said in an emotional voice. Tonks looked quite emotional herself and accepted the bouquet. She had never expected anything like this for doing what seemed to have been a routine job for her.

"But Harry, you shouldn't…"

"Shh…" Harry stopped her. "Don't argue and let's enjoy" he said and beckoned Remus and Dobby inside. Soon, all four of them were enjoying a delicious dinner which Dobby had cooked.

After the delicious dinner which Dobby had made, Harry was the first to get up and asked Tonks a surprising question "May I have the pleasure of a dance, my fair lady?"

Tonks looked at him in bewilderment as she didn't know what to say or do. After a few silent moments, she managed to nod dumbly which caused Remus to smile.

As soon as Tonks took Harry's hand, the center of the room changed to a dance floor. The music was still a slow one and though Harry was not a good dancer, he was determined to do everything to make this evening special for Tonks. As soon as they started, he felt that Tonks too was not a great dancer herself as she stepped onto his feet. Slowly, they settled into a steady rhythm.

"Harry, you…you…shouldn't have gone into all this trouble" Tonks whispered.

Harry gave a fake frown and said "Really? You don't like all this? Truthfully I don't know much about what girls like but I…"

"Shut up" Tonks whispered sternly. "This is the best thing I have ever had"

"So why are you scolding me like McGonagall?" Harry asked, with a grin lingering on his face.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to sound like that" she replied meekly. Harry just smiled at her and continued at the slow pace. It really felt nice dancing with Tonks and he really felt pleased that Tonks seemed happy. After the tune came to an end, Tonks was startled by a roar of claps before realizing that it was being done by the room. She looked around and saw that both dobby and Remus were clapping very hard and blushed. As she and Harry were returning to their chairs, Remus came up and stopped Tonks.

"My fair lady, is this worthless werewolf worthy enough for a dance with you?" Tonks couldn't help but blush even more at this praise from Remus. She nodded and danced with Remus to a different tune while Harry and Dobby watched from where they were seated at the table. Finally, at around 11:00 at night, they dispersed but not before Tonks had thanked Harry and Dobby profusely for the 'most wonderful evening' of her life.

**&&&&**

Harry was having an early and quite breakfast on the morning of 3'rd September when he heard footsteps approaching. He didn't pay any attention to them and concentrated on his breakfast.

"Harry, how are you?" a female voice asked him. Looking up, he saw that it was Soha standing in front of him.

"I am ok. How about you?" Harry asked politely. "It was not the best welcome for new students."

"I was a bit scared initially…" Soha said truthfully "…but when I saw how everyone fought, I knew that I am at a safe place."

"Yes, at least people can fight here" Harry confirmed. "And then there is Dumbledore."

"And you?" Soha asked with a smile.

"What me! You mean the boy-who-lived? He is not anything more than a wizard who can fight" Harry replied sarcastically, his gaze returning to his food. Soha understood his discomfort and decided to steer clear of the discussion. "Well, I should be getting back now" Soha said as she saw that many students were trickling in for their breakfast. "Talk to you later".

"Bye" Harry said with a weak smile on his face. He started finishing his breakfast when he heard some familiar voices near him settle down in their respective seats. Without turning his head, he finished his breakfast and proceeded towards his dormitory to collect his books for the Charms class.

"Harry" someone called just as he was reaching the portrait of the fat lady. Harry stopped and turned, knowing fully well who had called out to him.

"Yes Hermione?" He asked in a calm voice devoid of any emotion. Hermione looked upset at Harry's lack of emotions but managed to say what she had come to tell him.

"I wanted to thank Tonks for saving me" she said, glancing nervously around. Maybe she was hoping that Ron had not followed her but Harry didn't want to contemplate on those issues.

"Ok, I will tell her." Harry replied. Before Hermione had a chance to say anything more in this regard, Harry asked "Anything else?"

Hermione stood for a moment and then shook her head, giving him a negative answer. Without waiting for another moment, Harry proceeded to his room and picked up his books. He then went to attend the first class of his new year at Hogwarts.

Entering the classroom, Harry was stunned for a moment. The classroom seemed to have been expanded to thrice of what its natural size had been and all the 6'th year students seemed to be attending a single class. He saw the familiar faces of the Gryffindor's and observed that Ron and Hermione had left a single seat vacant beside them. Pretending that he had not noticed that, he proceeded towards one of the vacant seats in the front of the class where Soha was seated.

"Is this seat taken?" Harry asked as politely as he could. Soha smiled brightly at him and said a quick 'No'. As soon as Harry sat down, a familiar drawling voice called out from behind.

"What's the matter Potter? You seem too attracted to that new girl already." Harry felt Soha shift in her seat uncomfortably but maintained his silence.

"I must say that your choice is better now" Malfoy continued. "At least, she is much better than the mud-blood."

No sooner had these words escaped the mouth of Malfoy that Harry heard a muffled cry from behind and knew that the D.A. was into action and someone might have even landed a small blow.

"Malfoy…" Neville said in a very serious and confident tone which made many people turn around and stare at him "…10 points from Slytherin for your usage of foul language"

"WHAT? Is this a joke Longbottom?" Malfoy's voice did not sound as confident as he would have liked it to be. "Have you been appointed a professor here? Because if you have, then god help us."

"You believe in god Malfoy?" Neville continued in the same tone. "Why not your dark lord?"

Malfoy seemed lost for words at this. He had never expected Neville to reply in this manner. He opened his mouth once and closed it again. Apparently, he couldn't bring himself to talk about Voldemort in front of all the 6'th year students.

"You will pay for this Longbottom." Malfoy said in a deadly voice. Neville didn't care to reply and went back to his seat as many glares followed him. No one had ever seen Neville as confident as this, much less dream of him taking on Malfoy in this manner. For once however, Neville didn't mind the stares as he knew that with time everyone would become accustomed with his new attitude. He knew that only one person in the whole school knew the real motivation behind his new attitude and inwardly thanked him for it.

"Welcome to a new year" tiny Professor Flitwick seemed to be in a very good mood as he started the proceedings of the Charms class. "You all have done exceedingly well in your O.W.Ls and I expect great things from you. This year you will mainly focus on advanced charms while most of the next year will be spent in breaking of charms".

Professor Flitwick then went on to describe what their classes would hold for them. After that, he took in the essays of the students and set them aside for evaluation. He then revised some of the spells they had learnt in the fifth year. Finally, when the class came to and end, he informed everyone that their grades for the essays will be handed over to them in their next class. He also informed them that the classes following from the next day onwards would be double the duration of today's class as it had all the houses together in it.

"He seems a nice enough person" Soha said as soon as they had made their way out of the class.

"Yes" Harry replied. He didn't feel like talking too much right now but didn't want to be impolite with a newcomer whom he didn't know too well.

"Why is that Malfoy after you?" Soha asked but added instantly "…sorry, I don't want to intrude your privacy"

"No problem." Harry replied. After all, there was no point in keeping his 'relationship' with Malfoy a secret from her as she would know about it sooner or later. "Basically I share a love-hate relation with Malfoy." At the astonished look of Soha, Harry added "We love to hate each other."

Soha seemed to relax a bit and smiled at Harry's explanation. "So, is this a very long lasting relation?"

"It has lasted for the past 5 years" Harry replied with a smile as they turned another corridor. "Hopefully it will be a life-long relation". Soha didn't comment any further and continued to walk in silence. Finally they separated near the transfiguration class. Harry had transfiguration with the Hufflepuff's while Soha had CoMC with the Slytherins. Harry once again successfully avoided looking at his best friends and sat down with a Hufflepuff girl named Ana.

"Welcome to everyone" Professor McGonagall began her introductory speech. "You all did well in your O.W.L's but I am afraid that the N.E.W.Ts won't be so easy." Just like her, Harry thought. At the start of the 6'th year, all she can do is remind us of an exam which won't take place at the end of the next year. Who knows, I may not live long enough for that, Harry thought with a wry smile.

"Mr. Potter" Harry was brought back to reality by McGonagall's addressing of him. "Would you like to share the joke with us or should I proceed with the class?"

"Sorry Professor" Harry replied quickly. Joke, that's what his life was but he didn't want to show his emotions so easily. He put up his poker face expression and started taking notes about transfiguring one living being into another. The steps to transfigure seemed easy enough to everyone but most people looked out of sorts when Professor McGonagall told them that the transfigured animal should have all the characteristics of its new form.

At the end of the class, only Hermione managed to transfigure her toad into a talking parrot while the rest of the students could only manage the transfiguration but not the characteristics. McGonagall awarded Hermione 10 points while the rest of the class was told to write down the reasons why they had been unsuccessful and what they needed to do.

"Can you believe it…" Harry heard Ron say "…10 inches of parchment the first day we come back". Without listening to what else Ron and Hermione were talking about, he proceeded towards the great hall for his lunch as fast as he could without raising eyebrows.

"'ello 'arry" Harry stopped before he reached the great hall and turned around to face his newest professor.

"Hello Professor Delacour" Harry said with a smile.

"Please call me Fleur when we are alone" Fleur said with a warm smile.

"Ok Fleur. How are your classes going?" Harry asked as both of them proceeded towards the great hall. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that many people were looking at him and Fleur but he didn't care about it.

"'ts been ok" Fleur replied.

"Had your first class with the Slytherins yet?" Harry asked knowing fully well that they were the greatest trouble makers.

"Yes. 1'st 'nd 2'nd years" Fleur replied with a bit of hurt in her voice. Harry knew that Fleur was a quarter-veela and according to the slytherins, they were half-breeds. He understood that Fleur had problems with her initial classes and couldn't help but pity her for what she would be facing next. By this time they had reached the great hall and both of them said a quick 'see you later' to each other knowing fully well that they would meet again at their class later in the day. As Harry made his way to his seat for lunch, he noticed that Mark was already in the seat opposite to his.

"Hi Mark" Harry said as he sat down.

"Hi Harry" Mark looked up from his plate. Harry noticed that his eyes were full of excitement and joy just like he must have been after his first class. "You are quite famous here Harry, aren't you?". Apparently most of his fellow first years had asked Mark as to how he knew the boy-who-lived.

"Yeah" Harry replied sarcastically. "So, how is it going till now?" Harry asked, changing the subject quickly.

"It's great here" Mark exclaimed. "I mean, there are so many…" and Mark started to describe his impressions of the first day at school. Harry quietly listened to everything until a voice called from behind.

"Mr. Potter"

"Yes Professor" Harry said, turning around to face McGonagall.

"If you are finished, then the headmaster will like to have a word with you"

"Yes ma'am. I am finished here" Harry said as he got up. "See you later Mark"

"See ya Harry" Mark replied.

Harry and McGonagall started the long walk from the great hall towards the headmaster's office in complete silence. After a while, McGonagall asked quietly "Have you changed your mind on quidditch?"

Harry was a bit startled at the question but recovered quickly "No Professor".

"I see" McGonagall replied. "Have you applied for a license?"

"License? What do…" Harry said before he realized that McGonagall was talking about the apparation license. "I will think about it" he said.

"You can't go on breaking rules Mr. Potter"

"I will keep that in mind" Harry replied quietly. The last thing he wanted now was to get into an argument with his professor. Thankfully, they had reached the stone gargoyle which was the entrance to the headmaster's office. McGonagall gave the password ('Cadbury') and left Harry alone. Harry took the spiraling staircase and was soon in front of the headmaster's office door.

"Come in Harry" Dumbledore said from inside even as Harry had raised his hand to knock. Harry wondered for a moment as to whether Dumbledore had x-ray vision or not but found that he really didn't need any answer to that. After all, even if he found an answer to that, what good would it do to him? Clearing his mind of these thoughts, he entered the office of Dumbledore who seemed to have been waiting for him.

"Have a seat Harry" Dumbledore said with a warm smile. "Want some of these?" Dumbledore said as he held out a box of muggle sweets to Harry. The box had the name Cadbury written on it. "I can assure you that these are very good…" Dumbledore said "…though people say that I shouldn't eat a lot of these" he finished off with a chuckle.

"Thank you for your offer sir but I don't think I will want these so soon after lunch" Harry said as he refused to take up the offer. "You wanted to see me?"

"I thought you wanted to see me Harry" Dumbledore replied as he was putting away the box on the table. Harry looked on for a moment and knew that it was really him that wanted to see the headmaster. After all, it was he who had numerous queries about what had happened on the first night back to school.

"Yes sir" Harry agreed with his headmaster. "I have a number of things to ask you". Getting an affirmative nod from Dumbledore, Harry went on to ask his first question.

"How did they get in sir? I mean, there are wards around Hogwarts and…" Harry stopped at this and looked on for an answer.

"Well, that's a fairly easy question. Basically they didn't break any of the wards. All they did was come to the edge of the Hogwarts wards and walk the distance to the castle. That's the easiest way to get in."

"But sir, if death eaters and giants penetrate Hogwarts so easily…" Harry's voice trailed off at his apparent flow of uneasy thoughts.

"Like I had said before Harry…" Dumbledore said "…Hogwarts is not strong because of its wards or anything. It is strong because of the people in it. And if we had somehow managed to create wards to stop death eaters, then that would have been the first thing we would have done to each and every house in England. And if such magic existed at Hogwarts, Professor Snape would never have been able to get in without sounding an alarm" Dumbledore chuckled at the thought.

"But there were wards around Privet Drive" Harry said.

Dumbledore took another chocolate and continued thoughtfully "Yes…yes. But you are a special case Harry". Seeing that Harry was about to protest at this statement, Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him. With a smile, he continued "I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was that you are special because of your link with Voldemort. Creating wards around Privet Drive was possible mainly because of your scar"

"My scar? But that links me to Voldemort. Then how come death eaters didn't attack me?" Harry looked completely bewildered.

"Yes. Death eaters couldn't have attacked you even if they had known where you are, it is quite advanced magic really". Dumbledore paused for a moment as he seemed to look right into Harry and evaluate whether Harry should be told about what he had in his mind. Ultimately, he decided that being straightforward was the best way. "Actually, your scar links you with the dark mark".

Harry looked completely shocked at this. How could he be linked with the dark mark? He knew about the bond he and Voldemort shared but a link with the dark mark – it seemed a disgusting thought to him. He finally thought that he had been hallucinating but one look at Dumbledore showed him that he had heard everything correctly. Seeing Harry at a loss of words, Dumbledore decided to continue as fast as he could.

"It's not as bad as you think. I can only guess what you must be feeling but I regret to tell you that there is no way we can change this fact". With a sigh, Dumbledore started looking out of the window while Fawkes flew over to Harry's shoulder and gave a trill. Harry seemed to relax a bit as he felt Fawkes on his shoulder. After quite a few moments, Dumbledore continued "The day you got the scar was the day some of Voldemort's magic was transferred to you; like the fact that you became a parselmouth. My belief was that the dark mark was also linked to you and I tried to check it". At this, Dumbledore paused for a few more moments.

"I asked Severus to approach you but whenever he came close to you somehow…somehow you felt him. You were a child then, still unable to talk but you would start crying. This confirmed my suspicions. I was then able to ward off Privet Drive based on your link." Dumbledore's eyes did not have any twinkling in them as he said this.

Harry, in the meanwhile had found his speech and asked "But then why did you keep the Ord…you-know-which people trailing me?"

"Harry, these wards protect you the most when you are near your blood relatives. The scar links you with the dark side…" At this statement Dumbledore noticed Harry shiver a bit but he had long decided that being truthful was the best thing to do. "…but your relatives link you to the light side. So, the farther you go from your relatives, the weaker the wards get. That's why I had asked some of your well wishers to look after you."

Harry sat still for a few moments. He was 'linked' to the dark side. What did that mean? Did it mean that he wanted to harm people just like Voldemort did? And the hat…the hat had said that he would have become a great Slytherin. Were these two things related?

Harry was brought out of his thoughts by a string of notes by Fawkes. He felt a strange calmness pass through him and he decided that it was best if he meditated later on about what he had just heard.

"Sir, I might have more questions regarding this matter later on" Harry said.

"I understand Harry. You will always find your answers in this room" Dumbledore replied with a smile. He knew Harry would come back for more answers but for now he would have to answer other questions.

"Sir, why were you so anxious that evening?" Harry asked remembering very well the expression on Dumbledore's face that evening. Dumbledore gave a slight smile and replied "What would you be if you had been in my place with so many students to protect?"

Harry understood what Dumbledore meant and felt that it was reasonable enough. After all, Hogwarts was like a symbol of hope to the light wizards and it would have been disastrous if children had died on that day.

"What puzzles me Harry is why you still haven't asked about the giants?" The twinkle was back in its rightful place as the headmaster gave a warm smile.

"I was about to ask you about that. Also, I wanted to know what a death eater was doing near your office" Harry said before hastening to add "only if you want me to know about it". Dumbledore adjust his glasses one more time even as Harry absent mindedly continued to stroke Fawkes. Finally, Dumbledore spoke again.

**&&&&**

"'allo there Harry" Hagrid called out as soon as he saw Harry arrive for the CoMC class. Harry smiled back and noticed that he was the last person to arrive and all the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were looking at him strangely. He didn't mind their looks as his mind was still pondering over what Dumbledore had told him. Also, he knew that if he had to keep up with his current way of avoiding people, then getting used to strange looks was a necessity.

Harry absentmindedly heard Hagrid give them an introduction to what they would be learning this year. He also heard Hagrid say something about learning about dragons and unicorns and some other creatures. At last, after what seemed to be a long time to Harry, he found himself walking off the grounds and making his way towards the Defense classroom.

The Defense classroom was also much like the Charms classroom. All the students of 6'th year were packed into one room which seemed to have been expanded to thrice of it's initial size. Harry quickly found Soha sitting on one of the front row benches and went over to her. Taking a seat beside Soha, Harry noticed that Cho was just behind him while Ron and Hermione were on his right hand side bench.

"So, it seems many people have got O's" Snape said as soon as he entered the class. "You think you deserve these grades?" His eyes were fixed on Neville who didn't shy away from the challenge and kept meeting Snape's gaze. "Those who 'accidentally' got O's will have to watch their backs in this class". All the slytherins snickered at this. Harry, who was sitting beside Neville, also gave a weak smile. He knew that Snape was in for a big surprise if he tried to experiment with the _accidental O's_ students.

"What are you smiling at Potter?" Snape bellowed as he noticed Harry. Out of the corner of his eyes Harry saw Malfoy making a face but ignored him.

"I was thinking about what would happen to those people who got accidental O's" Harry said without hesitation. Almost all the D.A. members sported a grin but none dared to show it in front of Snape. Neville covered his mouth as discreetly as possible while Ron looked down hard at his bench. Cho and the others started to get their books opened in a hurry and found it very interesting. Only Hermione looked angry at Harry for taking on Snape

"10 points from Gryffindor Potter. Don't think what may happen to others. Think what may happen to you in this class if you are not up to the mark"

"May I speak sir?" Harry asked politely. He knew that if he did even the slightest thing wrong, then Snape would strip more house points off him.

"Speak quickly…" Snape said in a low, dangerous whisper. "…I don't have all day"

"Thank you for your advice sir" Harry said in a polite voice. Snape looked absolutely livid at this but knew that he couldn't take points off a student who thanked a professor for advice, added to the fact that the student had asked for permission to talk. Giving a death glare at Harry, Snape started of with the class.

"The headmaster wants you to learn about how to fight dark wizards though I would not be surprised if most of you got fried within seconds. You will learn the ground quaking curse today whose incantation is _Humus Contremisco_. Aren't you supposed to write all this down?" Snape bellowed.

Harry smiled inwardly as he started taking notes. The hex which Snape was talking about was known to everyone in the D.A. though the intensity of the tremor created by this curse varied from person to person. As soon as everyone had taken down their notes, Snape told them that they would practice the curse.

"LongBottom" Snape called out with a deadly smile on his lips. The slytherins broke out in laughter but Neville didn't flinch a bit.

"Yes sir?" Neville asked.

"Get down here". Neville did as he was told and soon found himself standing about 30 feet from Snape.

"Now…" Snape sneered "Aim near my feet and try not to blow away the whole room". Many of the slytherins laughed openly at this as they thought that Neville wouldn't be able to cast the spell correctly. Harry, on the other hand, could see the anger rising inside Neville and became worried. He knew Neville was perfectly capable of performing the spell but didn't know whether he would be able to control the full effect of the spell in such a mood.

"_Humus Contremisco_" Neville said in a very angry tone of voice and a jet of light sped towards Snape's feet. With grim satisfaction, Harry saw a look of horror in the eyes of Snape as the light hit a spot about 2 feet from where he stood. The next instant all of those present heard a loud blast and a thud. The place where Snape had been standing had been replaced by a small crater while Snape himself had flown across the room and crashed into the wall behind him. As the dust settled down, people saw a shaking Neville walking back to his seat while Snape lay unconscious near the point where he had crashed.

"Now what?" Soha looked quite disturbed at how Snape had behaved with Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors.

"We wait" Harry replied with a smile. He looked around and saw Malfoy rushing towards Snape with his wand in his hand, obviously to enervate him. Just as Malfoy raised his wand, a voice stopped him.

"Draco Malfoy" Cho called out making Malfoy turn around. "You are not supposed to hex a professor without his consent".

"Chang, don't you see he is unconscious? And who are you to stop me?" Malfoy sneered.

"You may go and get Madam Pomfrey or any other professor to enervate him" Cho said. "But Hogwarts rules say that a student cannot cast a spell on a professor without their permission. And as to what I can do…" Cho looked very angry as she said this "…I will show you if you give me the chance".

Malfoy seemed to regard Cho's words carefully as he knew that she was telling the truth. Harry guessed that Malfoy would take the safe way out and call a professor. He knew he had to do something now.

"What's the matter Malfoy?" Harry said with a sneer which could give Snape a run for his money. "Afraid of a girl's threat? What would papa Malfoy say to this?"

This had the desired effect on Malfoy who shouted "Shut up Potter. I will do as I see fit". With that Malfoy proceeded to enervate Snape. Snape looked dizzy for a few seconds in which Cho gave out a verdict.

"50 points from Slytherin for using magic on a professor without his consent". Malfoy looked furious at this. Snape, who had recovered by this time, looked quite bewildered. "Also, you will serve a detention for a week. The time and place will be told to you by your head of the house. Your head of the house will be informed about the time and place within 24 hours from now" Cho looked quite smug as she finished her statement. She knew that Snape would be really angry with her but, to tell the truth, she really didn't care. She knew that she was well within her rights to do what she did and no one could challenge her on that.

"Miss. Chang" an enraged Snape said; the expression on his face more horrible than the Ravenclaws had ever seen before. "Who are you to hand out detentions and to take points?"

"Professor, I am a member of the Hogwarts Peace Keeping Force and Headmaster Dumbledore has given us these rights". Seeing the look of utter loathing on the face of Snape, Cho added "We use these rights only when someone does not follow the rules set for the students".

Seeing the look on Snape's face, Harry wanted to laugh out but didn't dare to do so. From the mood Snape seemed to be in, Snape would kill him for even moving in his seat. He had seldom seen Snape so furious and was really grateful to Cho for making such a bold move. As he watched on, Snape seemed to be getting angrier by the moment as he understood that he had no method of overruling the H.P.K.F.

"CLASS DISMISSED" Snape shouted at everyone present. Everyone in the class hurried out as fast as they could and no one dared to look Snape in the eye.

"Is he always like that?" Soha asked when she and Harry were out of Snape's hearing range.

"Not with everyone" Harry replied. "If you are a Slytherin, he will go around giving sweets to you". Soha chuckled at this even though she was extremely nervous. She had never had a teacher who behaved in this manner or who seemed to be so biased. Changing countries was a hard enough thing to do but dealing with a professor like this every day seemed much tougher.

"You shouldn't have provoked Malfoy like that" Soha said after a few moments, sounding almost like Hermione. Just then, Cho had caught up with them. "Thanks Harry" she said with a smile and quickly passed ahead. Harry just gave a nod in reply. The same thing happened as Neville came and thanked him along with a host of other D.A. members. Harry was satisfied when he saw that neither Ron or Hermione or Ginny had come up and said anything to him.

"What's the matter with everyone here?" Soha looked surprised at everyone's reaction to the events of the defense class.

"Soha…" Harry turned to look at her as they kept walking. "…hang around the git Malfoy for a few days and you will get the answer to that question of yours". Soha didn't say anything and kept walking.

"We have potions together, right?" Soha asked after a few moments.

"Yeah" Harry replied. "In around 45 minutes".

"What do you plan to do now?"

"I think I will just hang around the grounds for some time" Harry said. Not wanting to be impolite, he asked "You have some other work or would you like to join me?" Soha seemed pleased at this and took up his offer. Both Harry and Soha walked out on to the grounds even as a lot of boys stood staring at Soha.

"Seems like you have already gathered a big fan following" Harry said with a smile as he saw all the boys around. Soha blushed at this. She was quite used to having boys stare at her in her old school.

"Sorry, didn't mean to embarrass you." Harry said quickly as they sat down on a green patch of grass near the quidditch field. "So, you must be missing your old school a lot?" Harry said, trying to change the topic. He saw Soha relax a bit and felt good about it. Harry and Soha talked for quite some time. Soon, it was time for their first potions class and both of them proceeded together towards the dungeons.

"Why do they use dungeons for this class?" Soha asked nervously and it was quite apparent that she didn't like the look of the classroom at all. Harry just gave a shrug of his shoulders to indicate that he had no idea about it. Both of them had taken one of the front seats and slowly the class started to fill in with the rest of the students.

"Welcome everyone" Professor Delacour said as she emerged from her adjoining office. "My english iz not ze best so pleaze excuze me". Everyone smiled at this to relieve their professor of the tension she was in. Seeing the smiles of everyone, Fleur relaxed inwardly.

"First zings first, your essays pleaze". Everyone took out their essays and Fleur summoned them. After all the essays were nicely stacked on her table, Fleur proceeded to explain some things. She told everyone that the room had been charmed so as to neutralize her veela charm. Also, she explained what kind of potions they would be brewing this year. Finally, before starting on their first potion, she asked everyone for co-operation as it was her first time in teaching.

**&&&&**

An exhausted Harry entered the trunk late at night. For the first time in his life, he had been able to brew a potion without anyone constantly hovering around him. He actually enjoyed the class and found that potion brewing was not as hard as Snape made it out to be. Thanking Dumbledore for shifting Snape to DADA, he fell asleep without even bothering to undress.

"WAKE UP"

"Why do you always have to do that?" Harry asked groggily.

"Because I love to do it to people who tease me" Tonks said with a smile. Harry had gotten up by now and performed a quick mouth-cleaning charm on himself.

"Now tell me what happened?" Tonks said eagerly as they made their way to the dining table where Remus was already seated.

"What do you mean what happened?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore" Tonks said. "Did you talk to him about what had happened on the first evening?" Harry gave an affirmative nod but before Tonks could say anything more, Remus stopped her.

"Let him have his breakfast Tonks". Tonks agreed to this and asked Harry to finish up his breakfast as soon as possible. In between drinking a glass of lemonade, Harry told Tonks that Hermione had thanked her.

"So, you are back with your friends?" Tonks asked a bit hesitantly.

"No" came the curt reply. Tonks didn't push the issue any more and let Harry finish his breakfast. Finally when everyone was seated on a couch provided by the room, Harry explained what Dumbledore had told him.

"…and I asked about the giants and the death eater near his office. He told me that the giant killed by Hagrid had been buried in the forest. The other giant whom we had stunned is also in the forest along with the last giant. Both of them are being held captive and are recovering from their wounds. Hagrid is talking to them and trying to get them over to our side. He is explaining to them that Dumbledore won't leave them to die as Voldemort (both Tonks and Remus flinched) had done. Hopefully they will join us" Harry said.

"I hope they do" Tonks said. "Both of them are really huge".

"What about the death eater?" Remus asked quietly. Harry took a deep breath and said "Dumbledore thinks he was after Gryffindor's sword".

"WHAT!" Tonks exclaimed. Both Remus and Tonks knew how Harry had pulled out the sword from the hat during his encounter with Tom Riddle.

"Did he explain anything to you?" Remus asked as calmly as he could.

"Yes. He has a theory behind it. He thinks that Voldemort perceives it as a potent weapon and doesn't want it to remain in Hogwarts. Dumbledore says that Voldemort maybe planning to destroy the sword so that I cannot use it against him" Harry replied.

"But why would You-Know-Who fear it?" Tonks asked. "I mean, it's only a sword."

"No Tonks, it's not just any sword" Remus said. "Godric Gryffindor used it in all the wars he fought. It is even rumored that he had used the sword to defeat Salazar Slytherin himself which caused Slytherin to leave Hogwarts. Even though it might just be a rumor, I think that sword has many magical properties. Maybe the dark side is really afraid of it otherwise You-Know-Who wouldn't have taken such a risk."

"Maybe…" Tonks said thoughtfully. "But at least they failed in whatever they might have been trying" this thought brightened her up. The others also agreed with her and then they proceeded to do their work according to their priorities. The trunk had two timelines now, one which went at twice the rate of the outside world while in the other one, an hour was equivalent to one day in the outside world. Harry always used the faster timeline while Tonks and Remus preferred the slower one. Both Remus's and Tonks's rooms had the slower timeline of the trunk and Harry would find them sleeping most of the time. Also, nowadays he was having a hard time in controlling himself from waking up Tonks in the middle of the night with a shout of 'wake up'.

The next few days in the trunk were quite straining on Harry, both mentally and physically. His physical energy was used up in dueling practice while the rest of the time was spent in meditation. He had meditated a lot about what Dumbledore had told him about his link to the dark mark but somehow, there seemed to be something about the link which he couldn't understand. It was not like that he couldn't understand Dumbledore's words but it was more like he was asking his inner mind for a further explanation ad confirmation of what Dumbledore had told him. He didn't know why but something seemed to be missing and he thought it best to let time decide what he was unable to understand.

Also, his mental strength was tested to a greater limit when Tonks put him through a rigorous test to decide his conjuring skills. He was told to conjure all kinds of objects, even a full version of 3, Sunshine Villa but Harry couldn't conjure up everything. The test lasted a full 3 hours before Tonks gave him an 'Acceptable' grade in conjuring items. Harry thanked Tonks and was about to finish of some other work when Tonks informed him that his test was not over yet. He had cleared only the practical examination and the theory was reserved for the post-lunch period. Knowing that Tonks was doing this for his own good, Harry decided to go through with the whole thing. Finally, his theory test produced an "Exceeding Expectations' grade which left both Remus and Tonks surprised.

**&&&&**

The first week of school seemed to pass in a blur. His progress in the trunk had been quite good. He had been able to stay invisible for around 2 minutes using the glove while his conjuring skills also seemed to have picked up. Harry was also making good progress in all the classes though Hermione was better than him in almost everything. Harry didn't mind the fact at all as he knew that he was learning things mostly to survive and live, and not to earn grades. He always gave Hermione a run for her money when it came to performing spells and most often than not, they would end up beating each other by some milliseconds. Conjuring was one field where Harry was having a lot of problem and he approached Professor McGonagall for some finer tips. The help provided by McGonagall was put to good use by Harry.

Defense classes had become somewhat dull now. Snape didn't take the chance to call upon any of the H.P.K.F to demonstrate spells though every now and then, Neville would become the butt of jokes. It was another fact that Neville didn't take the jokes too seriously and performed his best whenever called upon. Later in the week, Snape had said that there would be duels in the classes which would have a reflection on their house points. Snape himself would award points to those who demonstrated greater fighting abilities. This had led to many behind-the-back whispers that the awarding of points would be unfair and that Snape had devised this as a method of getting back at the H.P.K.F.

Surprisingly for Harry, Snape didn't pick on him too much during classes which seemed unusual at first but later on Harry understood that Snape knew he was good in DADA. This seemed a logical enough reason for not messing too much with him.

Harry had also developed a good relation with Soha. She seemed a nice enough girl and from what he could gather from the classes, she had the brains to match her beauty. Many students could be heard rumoring that Harry was having an affair with Soha but both of them took it in their stride as they found no reason to go out of their way to shut up other people.

Potions were another portion in which Harry seemed to have developed a keen interest. He found out that about a variety of potions which worked similar to spells and he was trying to learn them as best as he could. He knew that knowing these potions would only help him in the future.

The best part of the week came when the H.P.K.F. informed Snape of the detention of Malfoy. Malfoy was assigned a detention of a week with Hagrid between 7:00 in the evening to 12 at night. These caused a huge uproar amongst the slytherins but even Snape couldn't help it. After all, the H.P.K.F was technically correct and he couldn't overrule them. Malfoy reported to Hagrid the whole week as asked who, in turn, made him cut the grass evenly over the whole of Hogwarts grounds. Malfoy, not used to this kind of work, seemed thankful to Hagrid mainly because he liked this work rather than wandering in the forbidden forest at night.

Malfoy looked sullen throughout the week and didn't poke too much fun at Harry. Harry came to the conclusion that either Malfoy was too tired to make fun of him or he was afraid that Harry would use his friendly relations with Hagrid to make him do more dangerous stuff than usual. Harry had himself decided that as long as he had Malfoy in his grip, he wouldn't let go of any chance which Malfoy offered. But he also knew that Hagrid would not take any rash decisions regarding students and Harry waited patiently for the whole week for Malfoy to make a mistake so that he could convince Hagrid to take Malfoy to the forbidden forest. Alas, Malfoy proved smarter than usual and did not provoke Harry for the entire week.

Everyone received their essay grades soon. Harry saw that his grades were not too bad but nothing to be proud of. In any case he hadn't expected to get good grades, not when he had put in only some hasty hours in finishing up his essays. Mentally he thanked Tonks for reminding him of his essays; otherwise he would have failed in each of them and would have had to do additional essays.

It was on the weekend that two unexpected events happened. The first of them was the meeting between Harry and the Slytherin girl whom he had saved. The girl had asked him to meet him in the library during lunchtime. Knowing fully well that he could skip lunch and just go down to the kitchens for some food, Harry decided to meet this girl.

"Hi" Harry said as soon as he found the girl in the library. The girl looked startled and was relieved to see Harry. Apparently, she didn't want anyone from her house to know she was meeting Harry Potter.

"Hello" she replied tentatively as Harry took down a seat opposite to her. Harry understood that the girl was on the edge and he took a book from a nearby self and opened it. The girl took the hint and did the same and buried her face in the book. If anyone came now, they could always pretend that they had been reading. After a few moments, Harry finally said "I am Harry".

"I know. I am Rowena" the girl replied.

"Rowena Ravenclaw?" Harry asked in an amused voice. The girl giggled at his intended joke and replied with a quick 'no'.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my life" Rowena finally said.

"Ok. I know I can't stop you from thanking me but please try to run the next time" Harry said in an affectionate voice. "Those curses are really bad stuff"

"I know" Rowena said in a cryptic voice. Harry looked up from his book and saw a sad expression on the face of Rowena. As soon as their eyes met, Rowena turned back towards the book in front of her and a cold mask covered her face. Harry guessed that her family must be in the dark arts and didn't force any questions onto her.

"So, is that it?" Harry asked after another few moments of tense silence had passed. Rowena looked up uncertainly and Harry could tell that she had many things to say but it looked like she was fighting an internal force. After some time Rowena's face again set back to a cold mask and she gave an affirmative nod to Harry. Harry gave a reassuring smile and thanked her.

"Why are you thanking me?" Rowena asked in surprise.

"Because you are the first person in Slytherin who has talked to me normally. Whoever has talked to me till now has…" Harry's voice trailed off at this. Rowena seemed to understand his feelings but didn't say anything about it. "Now…" Harry said "…run to the great hall or you will miss lunch". Rowena nodded and went as quickly as possible while Harry sat for 5 more minutes before following her. But even as he was proceeding towards the great hall, someone else called him from behind.

"'arry"

"Hi Professor" Harry said with a smile as he turned to greet Fleur.

"Hello Mizter Potter" Fleur said with smile. Harry couldn't help but laugh at all this formality.

"Are you going towards the great hall professor?" Harry asked.

"Yes Mizter Potter" Fleur replied in a close imitation of McGonagall.

"Ok, then we can go together" Harry said and fell in step with Fleur. After a few steps, Fleur spoke again.

"Can you meet me at my offize tomorrow?"

Harry looked puzzled for a moment before replying "Sure. When should I come?"

"At 3:00 in ze afternoon?"

"Ok" Harry replied. They talked about a few more things before finally reaching the great hall with only 15 minutes of the lunch session remaining. Harry said a quick goodbye to Fleur and proceeded towards his seat, and lunch.

**&&&&**

"May I come in Professor?" Harry asked as he opened the door of the potions classroom. Inside he saw Fleur working on a potion.

"Yes" Fleur said quickly. "Pleaze take a seat. I will be with you in a minute"

Harry waited patiently for a few minutes as Fleur finally set aside the cauldron which contained some grayish fluid. She set aside the cauldron and asked Harry to follow her to her office. Once inside, Harry saw that it was as nicely decorated as a dungeon could be. One side of the room had a shelf which was filled with different items needed for potions whereas the other side had a stack of books and papers on it. Everything was nicely arranged and Harry thought that the dungeon seemed quite cozy.

Fleur, who was noticing Harry take in the surroundings, sat down on her seat and said "Professor Snape azked me to be careful about disappearing suppliez". This brought Harry back to his senses and he sat down on the chair offered to him by Fleur with a smile plastered on his face.

"I don't know why Professor Snape would do that. You mean he didn't keep a stock of his items?" Harry asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Fleur just returned his smile and said nothing.

"So Pro…oops…Fleur, how is Gabrielle?" Harry asked.

"She iz fine and azkz about you a lot" Fleur said with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"I am fine" Harry replied.

"Headmazter Dumbledore told me about what happened in ze ministry building lazt year. I waz sorry to hear it"

"Life goes on" was all Harry said in reply.

"Yes, thatz true" Fleur said. Not wanting to go into the past too much, Fleur asked "How's Soha?"

"Wha…" Harry gaped. So now even the professors thought that they were an item.

"Kidding" Fleur replied. Harry let out a huge sigh of relief at this. "If I am not wrong, then you two are zust friends, right?"

"Fleur, drop it" Harry said with a bit of irritation in his voice.

"I am sorry if I angered you" Fleur said apologetically.

"No…it's just that some of the students…no…no…no need to apologize" Harry said realizing that his voice may have sounded more irritated than he wanted it to. Fleur gave a weak smile at this but still had a guilty look on her face.

"So, what did you want to see me about?" Harry asked in a gentle voice. Fleur seemed happy with the change of topic and immediately summoned a bag from the shelves.

"Thiz…" she said as she handed Harry a bottle "…iz a bottle of ze bezt French perfume. Thiz iz a gift from Gabrielle"

"But this…" Harry stammered a bit as he looked at the expensive looking perfume bottle "…this is costly. I can't take it…I mean…"

"You have to take it…" Fleur said "…or Gabrielle will kill me. Don't worry, it iz not az expensive az you think"

"But why does Gabrielle want me to have perfume?" Harry wondered a bit too aloud for his own taste.

"Becauze she wantz her hero to be the bezt guy here" Fleur replied with a smile.

"Hero?" Harry seemed shocked.

"Yes. You will get to know more about her when you vizit our home during Christmaz." Fleur seemed to be enjoying the different emotions passing on Harry's face.

"What?" Harry asked in total bewilderment.

"Yes…" Fleur said "…our family wantz you to celebrate christmaz with uz. Would you like to come?" The last part of the statement was said in a tentative voice by Fleur.

"Well…" Harry said before he got lost in his thoughts. He had just got a formal request to visit France during Christmas but Christmas was still too far away and he had not even thought about it. As far as he could guess, he would like to spend Christmas with Tonks and Remus. Whether it was in a big castle or a small dingy cottage, it didn't matter to him as long as they were with him. Still, he couldn't take a decision on their behalf and he knew he would have to talk to them. Also, Harry thought with a smile on his lips, it would be interesting to see Remus in the presence of Veela's.

"You are smiling?" Fleur broke Harry's chain of thoughts with this question.

"Oh sorry…I was just thinking about something else" Harry said. "Look Fleur, actually I haven't thought about Christmas yet". Seeing her crestfallen face, Harry quickly added "I think I will be able to tell you something soon. Look, I am not accepting neither refusing. I just need some time to make up my mind."

Fleur looked happy at this. Gabrielle had been owling her regularly for an answer and now she had one. Even though it was not the one which would make Gabrielle happy, she knew that until Harry replied in the negative, there was hope that he would come. She desperately wanted Harry to come as she knew that his presence meant a lot to her sister and she was ready to do anything for her.

"Ok 'arry, I will tell my family what you told me. Hopefully you will come, Gabrielle wants to meet you very much" Fleur said.

"I will try Fleur" Harry replied. He made a metal note to ask Remus and Tonks as soon as possible so as to put Gabrielle out of her misery. Finally, after chatting for another hour, Harry got up to leave.

"Say to Gabrielle that I love her present" Harry said as he left the office, leaving behind a smiling Fleur.

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 12'th chapter. Ok…ok…this is a week late but I really have to earn a living, right? I really try to update every week but if I don't, then please understand I am having problems. Thanks :)

If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.

**Altariel4 **– I won't comment on the ships now but I am all ears for suggestions.

**snelly**– In my story, the POV jumps around mostly during battle scenes. Other than that, I try to maintain Harry's POV. Thanks for all your suggestions and I try to update once a week.

**snifflers**– I might have been mistaken on Macnair's name but I really don't know. Anyway, thanks for pointing it out. As to killing Ron…hmmm… ;). And about reading other fics, all I can say is that I spend all my free time writing this fic. Do you wish me to stop? ;)

**bloomimgtownie**– Maybe I tried too hard on the fight in the last chapter. I also feel that the POV jumped around too much which is not the case in the Azkaban battle. I will try to provide a more balanced fight scene the next time.

**Szihuoko**– You seem hell bent on saying that Hogwarts is the safest place on earth. Everyone knows that anybody and everybody can walk into Hogwarts from just outside the wards. As for giants, how come Gwarp lives in the forest? He couldn't have flown to the place. I never mentioned that they apparated right to the front of the door. Obviously they walked upto the castle. It is simple, isn't it?

Other than that, explain Wormtail's presence in Hogwarts for 3 years (he had the dark mark). Also, please tell me how Karkaroff and Snape manage to come to Hogwarts.

Also, how much of Hogwarts is known? JKR never explained what all the headmasters did. Who knows how many times Hogwarts has changed hands? At least I don't know about that and I won't jump to conclusions.

Last of all, I am not desperate to prove anything. And if you want each and every point to be explained, then I am sorry. The people who read a fic must use some of their own imagination. Can anyone EXACTLY describe the world of Harry Potter other than JKR?

If you want to think that I made a mistake, then you are most welcome. I don't know what else to say. If you want a full-fledged discussion, join my group and I will be more than happy to discuss all this with you since reviews are not the best of places for this.

In any case, I had the explanation scene ready before you even asked for it.

**Bushido, Nixus **– Thanks for pointing out the wand error part.

**Black-Hood **– I understand the last fight was not as good as Azkaban sigh. As to adding more powerful spells to Harry's arsenal, well…you will have to wait a bit. I have to keep something for the sequel as well.

**And all the other guys who reviewed** - Thanks for your reviews. Please know that they are very much appreciated and give me a real kick-in-the-back to continue writing. Also, I have a yahoo group; the link is in my profile.

**&&&&**


	13. Splits & Plans

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 13 – Splits & Plans**

"Say to Gabrielle that I love her present" Harry said as he left the office, leaving behind a smiling Fleur.

**&&&&**

It had been only a few hours since Harry had talked to Fleur but he was already in deep thought in his trunk. The main reason for his concern was the fact that Fleur had mentioned Soha just like the other students. In the past week, he had been so occupied in trying to avoid his friends that he had grown closer to Soha which, in the hindsight, was not a great thing.

It was true that Harry cared about Soha nowadays. At first, he had maintained a relation with her more out of politeness than anything else but now he thought of her as one of his friends. She wasn't in the league of Ron or Hermione or even Seamus for that matter but still she was his friend now and he couldn't risk anyone targeting her. If Malfoy or his goons were to attack or harass Soha, Harry knew that it would be very tough for him not to go to protect her which, in turn, will only add fuel to the rumors that he and Soha had a thing going between them.

But how was he going to tear away himself from Soha at a day's notice? It had been much easier in the case of Ron and Hermione since he knew exactly how they would react to certain things but he didn't have the vaguest idea of how Soha would react if he behaved coldly with her. Maybe she would be mad at him or maybe she would be quite and take it in her stride. Thousands of possible actions and their subsequent reaction combinations were going through his mind when he heard a soft knock on the door of his room.

"Come in" Harry said to find Tonks standing in the doorway.

"How are you?" Tonks asked in between her yawning. Evidently she had just got up from her sleep and wanted to check on the others.

"Fine" replied Harry trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible. Tonks frowned at this. She had come to know Harry's different moods over these past months and she could tell when he was in a bad mood or was contemplating something serious.

"Seriously, how are you?" Tonks asked for the second time, not looking as sleepy as she had been a minute ago. Harry looked at Tonks with an odd expression in his eyes. He had expected exactly this from Tonks and knew that Tonks would not give up until she knew what was bothering him.

"Just worried over some things at school" Harry knew his reply was not the exact truth but it was not too far away from it either.

"And what exactly are those some things?" Tonks asked as she sat down at the end of Harry's bed. "I don't think it is anything to do with your classes". Not getting any reply from Harry, Tonks gathered her courage and asked "Ron or Hermione?"

"No Tonks. That's not the problem" Harry replied, somewhat irritated, but did a great job in keeping his emotions in check.

"Then?" Tonks asked more confidently. She knew that if it had had something to do with Harry's best friends then she would have had no say at all but now that she knew that it was some other thing, she could press on it. "You know what; I might be able to help you if you let me."

Harry looked at Tonks for a long moment and finally told her about his problem. Tonks was slightly taken aback at how easily Harry told her that he didn't want to remain close to Soha and was trying to figure out of how to do it. After hearing what Harry had to say, Tonks finally spoke again.

"Look Harry, how long are you going to do this? This will keep getting messier by the minute."

"As long as he and his supporters are out there" Harry replied immediately, not bothering to explain who he was referring to though Tonks understood him well enough.

"Well…" Tonks seemed lost in thought. After a few moments of silence, she said "You are sure that you want to do this, right?" Harry nodded in reply. "Then the best way is to directly talk to her"

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows in a questioning gesture. Was Tonks advising him to go and talk to Soha and tell her that he didn't want to stay friends because of Voldemort?

"What I meant was that just tell her that you want some space. Tell her that you don't want to be disturbed for the time being and that she shouldn't read too much into your behavior. Then, after she understands it, you start staying away from her as long as you can and slowly but surely, give her the impression that you don't want anything to do with her." Tonks finished her explanation even though she hated herself for it. She knew that her idea was quite a good one as Soha wouldn't be too hurt by this added to the fact that she didn't trust Harry too much in his behavior with girls.

Harry was lost in his thoughts for some time but finally smiled. Yes, it was a nice way of convincing Soha. "Thanks Tonks. I like it".

"But I don't" Tonks replied with a hurt look on her face. "You shouldn't go around destroying your life".

"I am trying to keep others safe" Harry replied defensively.

"Look Harry…" Tonks explained "…even You-Know-Who has supporters. Even he has to rely on others since he knows he can't take on others single handedly".

"I know" Harry replied. "But I too have my supporters".

"Who are they?" Tonks asked while cursing her curiosity. She was the type who just had to know what was going on around her.

"You and Remus of course" Harry replied in a cheery voice. Tonks was however not too enthusiastic about this and got up to leave.

"You know Harry, one day you will require more people by your side; so don't push everyone away so much that you lose sight of them".

"Hey..." Harry asked "…where did you learn to talk like that?"

"You must be rubbing off on me". Now that Harry mentioned it, Tonks had to admit that she had surprised even herself with her words and advice.

"Now now Tonks, you shouldn't talk like that to a guy who is much younger than you" Harry said with a mischievous smile on his face. Tonks had made another wrong move and he wasn't going to let her go scot-free. "I never even come too close to you".

Tonks seemed lost for words at this statement from Harry. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. As she rushed out of the room blushing heavily, she stumbled on the carpet at the doorway and Harry could hear her firing curses at the carpet.

**&&&&**

"Hi Harry" Soha called out to Harry as soon as she caught sight of him heading towards the charms classroom. At the sound of her voice Harry stopped and waited for her to catch up. When she was alongside him, he started to walk again at his normal pace without acknowledging her greetings with a smile as had become the custom over the past week.

"Any problem?" Soha seemed a bit worried regarding her friend. She had seldom seen Harry so quite and somber looking.

"Yes…I think we need to talk sometime today" Harry replied. "I want to discuss some things with you".

"Ok" Soha replied even as her voice betrayed her curiosity. Both of them proceeded towards the classroom and sat down at their respective adjacent seats without too much further interaction. Soha seemed to sense that Harry wanted some time alone and thought it best not to interfere with his thoughts.

"Talk to him" Harry was lost deep in thought when he heard someone whisper. Without turning his head but getting a vague impression from the corner of his eyes, he could make out the red hair of a boy who had just taken his seat on the desk to his right hand side.

"I won't" he heard Ron whisper back to Hermione.

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Ron retorted aggressively.

"You are a guy. Maybe it's a guy's thing" Hermione reasoned. "You would be better in a guy's talk than me".

"I am not good in guy's talk" Ron seemed as stubborn as ever. It seemed like he didn't even want to try to break the ice between them and Harry.

"Then what are you good at? Girl's talk?" Hermione's voice was much angrier than before.

"Quidditch" Ron replied. Harry almost snorted at this; even in the middle of a serious discussion, all Ron could think of was quidditch.

"What?" Hermione said in an exasperated tone. "Quidditch comes before Harry?"

"Quidditch comes before everything" Ron said adamantly. Harry smiled inwardly at this. He knew that Ron didn't mean it; rather it was Ron's ego which was stopping him from talking to Harry. All for the better, thought Harry.

"Today…" Harry suddenly realized that their tiny professor had entered the classroom "…we are going to learn an advanced spell which cannot be performed by most" this perked up the interest level of the whole class. "This spell is called the Hate Charm. Can anyone tell me what this charm does? Yes Ms. Granger?"

Hermione lowered here right hand and replied "The Hate Charm is a charm which causes temporary side effects but nothing too harmful. It can be cast only when the castor has extreme hate for his opponent. Even though the name for the charm seems to indicate otherwise, the hate charm only results in temporary blindness or stunning of an opponent for a few seconds. Since it doesn't have grave effects, it is not classified as an unforgivable curse"

"10 points for Gryffindor for such an excellent explanation" Flitwick squeaked in delight. "Everyone, please write down the incantation for the charm. It is "_Perosus__ Infinitus_". Soon the class was busy taking down notes on the Hate Charm and its effects which seemed very mild.

"I don't know how a charm which needs such high emotions can have such a mild effect" Soha said once she and Harry were out in the corridors. Harry didn't bother to reply and only nodded his head once. Soha took this as a sign that Harry didn't want to talk now and proceeded quietly. Soon both of them separated as Soha had CoMC with Slytherin while Harry had transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. Transfiguration went better than expected as Harry was able to transfigure a match box into a wooden chair but still finished second to Hermione. But this time around, McGonagall praised Harry's skills more than Hermione's and asked the rest of the class to follow the example set by Harry and concentrate more on their studies.

It was during lunch that Harry heard an argument break out in the Gryffindor table and suddenly found him in the middle of quite a few people.

"What?" Harry asked as he looked up to see himself surrounded by almost all the Gryffindors.

"Let's go to the common room for a while" Katie Bell caught Harry by the arm and tugged him up. Reluctantly, Harry went along with her wishes and walked out of the great hall with all the Gryffindors following him. Many of the teacher's and the students looked on in amazement but none of them said anything to the large group of students.

"You resigned?" Katie asked slowly to Harry as soon as they were in the common room.

"Yes" Harry replied. He now understood that McGonagall must have called up the quidditch team and had informed them of his decision.

"YOU REALLY DID?" Katie shouted at Harry. "AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN INFORM US!"

Harry didn't reply as he saw the angry faces of Ron, Katie, Ginny and the other Gryffindors. Only Hermione seemed to be neutral and though Harry couldn't be sure, he thought that there was even a sympathetic look on her face which vanished as soon as their eyes met.

"Say something" this time around it was Ron who spoke up. "If you have any problems with me then its fine but why do you want us to lose the quidditch cup?"

"Ron, this is not about you" Harry began slowly. "I resigned because I didn't want to play anymore and I think Ginny did an excellent job the last time around as a seeker".

"C'mon…" Ron threw up his hands in the air in desperation "…you want us to believe that you don't want to play quidditch? That's a good joke really".

"That's the truth" Harry replied curtly knowing fully well that it was a lie.

"Harry…Harry…" Katie began to pacify the situation "…we need you. Look, the seventh years have left and I will also leave after this year. We need you in this team. You have been the one who has been winning us the games".

Harry saw that many of the angry looks on the faces of the other Gryffindors were vanishing only to be replaced by pleading expressions. "Katie, I am really sorry but I can't continue".

"Why?" Katie almost seemed to be on the verge of tears. Slowly it was beginning to sink in that Harry had really quit but still she didn't want to believe it.

"It is too complicated to be answered like that" Harry said, his eyes focused on his palms. He didn't want anyone to see that he was even sadder than the others and that quidditch was something he truly treasured. "I need a break and that's why I quit".

"Ok…ok…" Ron said, seeing a ray of light in the darkness around. "You can have your break but you are coming back for the second match, right?"

Harry used his metamorphmagus abilities to harden his face and replied curtly "Sorry Ron, I don't think I will be playing again. By a break I meant a long term one and even I don't know how long it can drag"

"This can't be happening…" Ron seemed to be talking to himself as he started pacing around but he could be clearly heard by everyone in the room which had fallen into pin drop silence.

"Harry…" Ginny spoke up for the first time. "Please don't do it" her voice was almost begging him to reconsider his decision.

"Sorry Ginny, I have already taken my decision" Harry said before turning towards the others. "Look people, Gryffindor have a good quidditch team and it is not dependent on one person. You guys can play well enough without me. I am thankful that you guys asked me to reconsider my decision. It means a lot to me but I would really appreciate it if you respect my decision".

"Ok Harry…" Katie said again after a long moment. "…we can't take your decisions for you. We respect your decision but please, if you ever want to come back, know that you will be most welcome".

Harry nodded in reply and felt grateful towards Katie for resolving the situation. Still, he could see the frustration on the faces of many others and he felt sorry for them. He also wanted to play quidditch as much as Ron but he already had too much on his platter and didn't want to add more things to it. Quidditch would always be there but another encounter with Voldemort might well be his last and which way the result would go would depend a lot on how he prepared himself.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and soon it was an hour to go for dinner. Harry had talked precious little with Soha during the day and wanted to explain his position to her. Harry got up from his chair in the common room and went to his dormitory room. Taking out the marauder's map from his trunk, he looked around to find Soha in the library. Quickly pocketing the map, he proceeded towards the library.

"Hi" Harry said as soon as he reached the library. Soha was just leaving the library when Harry had managed to catch up with her.

"Hello" Soha replied in a none-too-bright voice. Apparently, she was not too happy with the events of the day and wasn't in her usual high spirits.

"Can we talk for a while?" Harry asked tentatively. Normally he was very sure of himself whenever he spoke to Soha but this time around he didn't feel too confident. But an affirmative nod from Soha brought a smile to his lips and he motioned her to follow him.

"Well, this is a safe place to talk" Harry said when they were settled in the Hogwarts Room of Requirements. Soha was looking quite surprised as she had followed Harry through a zig-zag route to a portion of a corridor where a door had appeared out of nowhere. Finally she told herself that this must be one of the many secrets of Hogwarts and she should get used to such things.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Soha asked after she had completed her survey of the room which had nothing more than a big couch in it.

"Well…" Harry began tentatively "…you must have seen me behave a bit differently today…" He paused to await Soha's response which came as an affirmative nod. "Actually I have some things on my mind".

"Can I help in any way?" Soha asked in a concerned voice.

"No" Harry replied immediately. "I have to sort out something's myself and for that I need some time".

"Yeah…" Soha said in an understanding manner "…there are some things in which no one can ever help the other". Harry thought that there was a bit of grief in her voice but decided that he should continue with his explanation.

"Soha, I need some time…some time alone" Harry continued. "I mean, my behavior will remain similar to what it has been today because I am too pre-occupied with my existing problems".

"Does this problem have something to do with that red-headed friend of yours?" Soha gave him a quizzical look.

"No" Harry was surprised at Soha's question though inwardly he was also quite satisfied. Obviously the news that Harry and his friends were not on the best of terms had spread through Hogwarts very fast. "Why do you say that?" this time it was Harry who questioned.

Soha looked slightly uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. "Well, I have heard some things…you know…about you having a fight…" Soha's voice trailed off at this point but it was enough for Harry to understand what kind of rumors were doing the rounds of Hogwarts.

"Well, something like that did happen but that is really not my problem here" Harry said. There was no way that he would go around denying the rumors but he couldn't lie about anything and everything to a person. "I have some other things to do also and I want work out those things first".

"I see" Soha said. "I have no problems with that".

"But it is going to be slightly related to you" Harry said. At Soha's questioning look Harry said "I need some time alone. I mean I want to continue with being alone for some time so that I can think clearly".

"I see. So you want to stay away from me for some time? You mean to kick away your friend?" Soha had a hurt expression on her face.

"No…no…" Harry tried to calm down Soha. "It's not like that. I mean, we are still friends and friends do understand when the other person wants some time alone to solve their problems, don't they? Soha, you are a good friend and what I just said has nothing to do with you personally".

Soha recovered slightly at this. She understood that Harry needed some time alone but she didn't like the fact that she would have to spend her time without someone to talk to.

"Look Soha, you have your other friends to talk to in the meantime" Harry said as he almost sensed Soha's fears. "Try to get to know others better in this time period and you will find many good people around here".

"But no one ever talks to me" Soha said disappointedly. "Not even the Ravenclaws".

"Maybe we have been hanging around too much with each other" Harry tried to provide some consolation to the pretty girl in front of me. "I would bet that a lot of people want to know you"

"You think so?" Soha's voice betrayed her insecurity.

"Absolutely. I had my problems initially but when I tried hard enough I found pretty good friends".

"Then why are you not with them now?"

Harry again surveyed his hands and drew a line on his right palm using his left hand's index finger. "We have some problems with each other. Let's say that they too need some time away from me".

"I see. Don't worry, it will be ok after all" Soha reassured Harry with a warm smile. Harry felt grateful to two people at that time - Soha, for being such an understanding friend and Tonks, who had given him such a simple but wonderful idea to sort out things.

"Hopefully" Harry replied. "Anyway, I might stay away from you from now on but don't read too much into that, ok?"

"Ok Mr. Potter" came the reply in the bright voice which Harry had come to know in the past few days. "And I think I should get going now…I have a lot of friends to make" Soha said with a friendly wink. Both Harry and Soha had a good laugh at this and said good night to each other as they left the room.

School went on normally for the next few days. Harry started to change his seating arrangement randomly in different classes and everyone seemed to be a bit taken aback at this development. No one knew when they would find Harry sitting beside them in a class and moreover Harry himself didn't know who he would be sitting with. He used to walk into classes and sit down at any random desk with a single empty seat and sometimes, when his luck was really bad, he would find himself seated with some Slytherin student. Only potions classes would feature him and Soha sitting together since Fleur had partnered them from the first class itself. Thankfully for Harry, Soha seemed to be taking all these developments sportingly and didn't mind the fact that Harry kept avoiding her.

Harry was also pleased by the fact that Soha had found some new friends. It seemed to him that whoever was not hanging around with him daily was welcomed into other groups; and he didn't mind the fact at all. Also, he had dropped a word with Neville that Malfoy could be planning something against Soha and Neville had passed the word onto Cho without mentioning the source of the information. Cho seemed much friendlier towards Soha now that she didn't stay around Harry in his free time and both of them seemed to spend quite a lot of time together.

With all this going on, the rumor mills were now going on about a big fight between Harry and Soha and how they had split. Harry felt amused at the stories doing the rounds and couldn't help but laugh at the one which was about Harry offering Soha a ride on a hippogriff and Soha rejecting it. It was said that Soha had given Harry a choice between the hippogriff and herself and Harry had chosen the hippogriff. All in all, Harry couldn't have felt better about their 'split'.

Harry had also taken up a strange hobby nowadays. Whenever he had a lot of free time, he would end up in the library. Many times he would find Hermione there but they didn't talk much now. But sometimes after lunch or when he didn't feel like going to the library, Harry would just wander about the castle and try to memorize each and every path present. In doing this, he had even identified a certain sequence in which the staircases moved and sometimes he would just wait for a staircase to move before climbing onto it.

It was during one of his 'wandering' trips that he encountered a curious situation. It was around 8 in the night and all the students were in the great hall finishing their dinner. Harry had decided that he would have dinner with Tonks and Remus and knowing that he had a lot of time on hand, he took a detour through the second floor. He had just turned around on a corridor and was proceeding towards a secret passage which led towards the Gryffindor tower when he heard hushed voices coming towards him. As silently as possible, he hid inside one of the empty classrooms and watched in amazement as two of his professors came into view - McGonagall and Snape. Both of them were walking very slowly as they seemed to be debating upon something.

"But this is draining Dumbledore too much" Snape's voice was concerned which Harry couldn't believe was possible.

"But there is no other way to stop him, you know that as well as I do" McGonagall's voice seemed strained as she said this.

"But we can't risk Dumbledore for him. He is our last hope".

"You know Albus…" Professor McGonagall retorted. "He will go to any length to…"

Harry almost yelled in frustration as McGonagall's voice faded out and assumed they had turned around the corner. He knew he had heard something which was supposed to be not known to everyone, something which Dumbledore would go to any length to do – but what was it? He quickly got out of the room and tried to follow his professors but found that they were nowhere to be seen. Must have taken a short-cut to the staff room, Harry thought.

Harry proceeded towards the Gryffindor tower lost in deep thought. Once inside the common room he started to get his questions in order. Dumbledore was doing something but what was it? Snape said that this 'something' was draining Dumbledore too much. Did that mean that Dumbledore was trying to use some advanced magic against Voldemort which was draining him magically? Draining Dumbledore magically - this thought seemed impossible to Harry but if Snape had said it then it had to be true. Harry decided to think over it carefully as his stomach gave a growl. He left the common room and proceeded towards his room without noticing that Ron, Hermione and Ginny had just come in.

"Why did he go off like that?" Ron asked indignantly as he took his customary seat near the fireplace.

"I don't think he left because of us" Hermione said. "I don't think he even saw us".

"But he doesn't even talk to us anymore" Ginny said in an annoyed voice.

"I know Ginny…" Hermione said "…and I myself would like to know why he is avoiding us".

"Why he is avoiding us? Maybe we are not worth his time" Ron retorted. "Maybe that new girl has bewitched him".

"Ron" Hermione glared at him. "Don't bring Soha into this. Harry has been avoiding her too recently".

"Soha? You have even talked to that girl?" There was a kind of disgust in Ron's voice which effected Hermione very much.

"Yeah…" said Hermione sarcastically "…and if you had any brains then you would have asked me what I had found out".

"Sorry but I left my brains at home" Ron spat out. Ginny was watching the whole scene in shock as Ron's anger shifted from Harry to Hermione. She knew that whenever her brother was angry with something, he would take out his anger on the first thing in his sight. "You are the little Miss-Know-It-All, why don't you enlighten us?"

"I would have told you if you had not behaved like a complete jerk" Hermione shouted. Many people in the common room had stopped whatever they had been doing and watched the trio near the fireplace.

"Now I am a jerk?" Ron shouted, getting up from his chair. "The real jerk is upstairs and you call me a jerk!"

"You are so stupid" Hermione shrieked before hurrying off towards the girls' dormitories followed by Ginny. Ron slumped down his chair and stared at the blazing fire.

**&&&&**

"Hi" Harry said as soon as he reached his trunk. "What's the latest?"

Remus updated Harry on the latest news around even as Tonks returned from her duty. Remus told Harry that some people had gone missing for weeks now and the ministry was, for once, taking an active role in searching for them. According to him, Fudge seemed to have lost his mind and was now working for the good of the common people rather than go about holding useless press conferences. Harry smiled inwardly at this and assumed that none of the Order members knew about the Council. Tonks, on the other hand, said that the number of attacks had reached a record low ever since the attack on the ministry building. This could be attributed to the fact that older aurors had been called out of retirement and had been assigned duties for protecting the innocent one's while it was up to the new aurors to hunt out death eaters. Many of the older aurors had returned because of a personal request from Dumbledore though Tonks was also unable to explain how Dumbledore and Fudge had come to an agreement on this.

"So the common people are feeling more protected now?" Harry asked in between taking bites of the meat loaf on his plate.

"Some are. Others are using high security installations at their homes. Some guys are really making money out of this" Tonks replied.

"Would you guys like to start something like that?" Harry asked.

"Like what?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Some 'Security Providing' company" Harry said. "I could ask the twins to make whatever you want to be made".

"That's a really good one" Tonks laughed out loudly but stopped once she noticed that Harry seemed serious about this. "Are you mad?" She exclaimed as she understood that Harry had seriously made his offer.

"No" Harry replied calmly as he gulped down some mango juice. "If others are making money then why can't you do so?"

"Kiddo, do you have any idea about how much investment it would take?" Tonks voice had a hint of annoyance in it as she thought that Harry was pulling their leg.

"Old lady, do you have any idea about how much I have at Gringotts?" Harry's reply came as a question.

"Anyway…" Remus said breaking up the brewing argument. "Seriously, apart from what I have informed you, it seems…"

"Remus" Harry interrupted. "I am seriously thinking about a new company. How about 'RT Securities'?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Harry, don't start on like your dad" Remus had a note of warning in his voice.

"Why don't you guys take me seriously?" Harry responded angrily. "This is a serious business I am talking about".

Tonks had finally managed to understand that Harry was dead serious in this stuff and wasn't joking around like she had thought. "Harry, we don't have the money".

"I do" Harry said. "How much will you require? 1000 galleons for a shop on Diagon Alley, another 100…no…200 galleons monthly for 4 round-the-clock employees, about 200 galleons for the twins for their unique brand of magic and an additional 1000 galleons for miscellaneous expenses. That comes to 2400 galleons…no…make it 3000 galleons to start off with. After that a monthly expense of about 500 galleons will take place but I think you guys will make over 2000 a month"

Tonks had her mouth hanging open while Remus had stopped eating altogether. He just couldn't believe that Harry had made such a calculation and was talking about the money as if it was nothing for him. Obviously Remus knew that 3000 galleons was nothing for Harry but he still couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Hello!" Harry snapped his fingers in front of Remus and Tonks. Both of them came out of their stupor but still had a glazed look in their eyes. "Should I ask the twins to arrange the things? They would get everything ready within 2 to 3 weeks".

"Harry, we can't do it" Remus said, his voice almost a whisper. Tonks faintly nodded her head in agreement.

"Remus, think of it in this way…" Harry began "…the rich can take all kinds of protective measures but not the poor. Why don't we do something to fix that? We can make the latest protective stuff as you and Tonks have quite a thorough knowledge plus the twins can add something unique of their own. We sell to the poor guys at no-profit-no-loss while the rich ones pay good money for it. What do you say to this? We have a good business running as well as we can help a lot of people".

Remus and Tonks looked on in wonder at this explanation. Finally Remus spoke again. "You are really serious about this?"

"Of course" Harry exclaimed desperately.

"Ok. I think that we need some time to think about it, right Tonks?" Tonks made a strange gurgling noise which both the men took as an affirmative one.

"I will ask you soon as to when you plan to start" Harry said this as if everything had been decided and only needed the right date to launch their new business. "I can see the newspaper headlines clearly - RT Securities Launch Latest Product".

"What's this RT for?" Tonks asked.

"Remus and Tonks" Harry replied.

"No way" Tonks said.

"Ok…ok…we can think of a name later. Just take a positive decision by soon." Harry said as all of them finished their dinner.

**&&&&**

"Potter" came a drawling voice from behind Harry as he was making his way to the Potions class. Harry had spent the past few days in relative peace but knew that it had to end someday soon.

"Malfoy" Harry stopped and greeted his fellow year-mate.

"I heard that your girlfriend threw you out. Knew it would happen sooner or later" Malfoy was accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle as usual.

"You knew it in advance?" Harry asked, feigning astonishment. "Now I understand why I always came second in divination"

"Shut up Potter"

"You shut up Malfoy" Harry said, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "Seems like your dad doesn't have too much hold on the ministry anymore"

"Don't worry Potter…" Malfoy sneered "…Pretty soon there will be no ministry to have hold of"

"Empty threats again Malfoy" Harry retorted. "You should learn something from your dad. At least, he answers the calls of his master like a pet dog". Malfoy seemed shocked at these kinds of statements by Harry who kept a safe distance from both of Malfoy's bodyguards. Recovering from the shock quickly, Malfoy drew his wand and said "You will regret this Potter"

"Maybe not" Harry said with a smile. "Looks like the H.P.K.F. is here" Sure enough, Neville, Ron and Hermione were coming towards them as they were also headed for the Potions class. Malfoy quickly pocketed his wand and said "We will meet again Potter"

"I will be most happy to meet you again" Harry said with his smile still plastered in its place. "Maybe you would come alone to show that you are man enough to face me"

"Any trouble Harry?" Neville had hurried forward to see what was happening.

"No Neville" Harry replied as Malfoy turned on his heels and walked in the opposite direction. "No trouble at all".

**&&&&**

"So, how were your classes today?" Tonks asked as soon as Harry entered the trunk on the evening of the 15'th of September.

"Ok I guess unless you count the loads of homework given to us"

"Good. They should give you more homework" Tonks had a look of glee on her face. "When I was studying here they always used to give us so much work to do whereas you guys get off easily"

"Easily?" Harry asked in an angry tone. "You call writing 38 inches of parchment in one evening easy?"

"Of course" Tonks looked mildly surprised though Harry could feel that she was just helping herself to a good laugh. "We used to write down 60 to 70 inches of parchment daily"

"Wow" Harry said in mock appreciation. "Why don't you help me out with my homework today?" This seemed to drain off some color from Tonks's cheeks.

"It's your homework" Tonks replied. "I don't want you to cheat"

"C'mon Tonks, you have to help me out" Harry said in a pleading voice. Tonks looked stuck in a spot of bother but Remus walked in at that moment.

"What's up with you guys?" Remus asked.

"I was asking…" Harry began but was cut off by Tonks.

"He was just asking us when we wanted to start our new business and I said that we would like to begin as soon as possible" Tonks said all this very fast.

"Really?" Harry exclaimed, forgetting his homework.

"Well…" Remus said in a thoughtful voice "…we did consider what you told us and we really want to help as many people as we can. We don't want to make money out of it…"

"…but we can't help it if we do make a lot…" Tonks said with a sad look on her face which was one of her worst made-up expressions. Anyone who saw it would have been able to point out that she was trying to hide a smile.

"Anyway" Remus continued after giving Tonks a glare. "We will do it"

"GREAT" Harry shouted. "Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter?" Dobby asked.

"We are going to have a feast today and you get to cook everything as I have a lot of homework to finish. Also I have to ask the twins to get everything ready as soon as possible"

"Dobby is most happy to do everything" Dobby said with a toothy grin and popped away to get everything ready. After all, it was not everyday that Harry let him do all the cooking for a feast alone.

Harry finished up his homework as fast as he could and sat down to write a letter to the twins. Making it as brief as possible without leaving any of the details out, he gave the letter to Hedwig who seemed quite happy with the task. After all, it had been a long time since Harry had entrusted her with the job of delivering a letter, let alone an important one as this.

"So" Harry said as soon as he sat down to a magnificent dinner "Have you thought of a name?"

"Potter Security Services" Tonks replied immediately before adding a slogan "Potter for Every Occasion"

"Very funny" Harry replied while he made a face at Tonks.

"Seriously…" Remus said "…we were thinking of 'Sknoher Security Services'"

Harry thought for a moment and shrugged his shoulders "Fine with me. Now that everything is fixed all I can say is ENJOY". With that, Harry tore into the food as if there was no tomorrow.

**&&&&**

"Hi girl" Harry said as he got up from his bed, awakened by the hoots of Hedwig. Hedwig immediately flew down and held out her leg for Harry to untie a letter. Harry took the letter and gave her some owl treats which she took very happily. Hedwig gave an affectionate peck on Harry's fingers before flying to her perch and settled down comfortably for a well earned rest.

As soon as Hedwig had flown away, Harry opened the letter and started reading its contents.

_Dear Harry,_

_Really, we are surprised as to how you provide us with options to make money. Wasn't it enough with the joke shop (No it wasn't mate). We are looking for a good shop (but not better than ours) and we will inform you as soon as possible (Yes as possible as sooner)._

_We also liked your idea for the security options you mentioned (we have better one's installed here) and we will start working on it soon (oops…no comments). We are planning to drop by soon (just keep a soft landing spot) and will ask you about your feedback regarding our new products (which must be old by now)._

_Best Regards,_

_Fred (and George)_

_With Special Thanks To_

_George (and Fred)_

Smiling, Harry put away the letter in the drawer beside his bed and got dressed for his classes.

**&&&&**

Harry was in an excellent mood today. After the confirmation from Fred and George, his initial classes had also gone very well. When he entered the DADA class, anything to do with Snape didn't seem a bad idea either.

"Accio Essays" Snape said even as he was striding into the classroom. All the essays were neatly stacked onto his desk as he said "Books and quills in bags. This will be a dueling lesson only". No sooner had he said this that a rustling of bags and books could be heard. Within a minute however everyone had their wands in hand and awaited further instructions patiently.

"Weasley, Granger. Get down here"

Hermione silently got up from her seat and Harry saw that she was clutching her wand more tightly than usual. Looking up towards Ron, Harry found him to be unusually tense too. Knowing both of his friends so well, Harry was ready to bet 1000 galleons that they had a fight and had still not made up. What worried him slightly was the fact that whether he had been a cause for their fight or not and he also felt guilty for not being there to resolve their differences.

"You two are going to duel each other" Snape said. "Everything goes except for the unforgivables or until I call a halt to the proceedings". The whole class had become silent as they knew that they could witness a good duel but Harry's eyes seemed to be trained more on Snape.

Snape looked most unlike himself today. In fact, when he had called out the names of Hermione and Ron, the usual loathing in his voice was missing. Now that he looked closely enough, Harry found that Snape looked kind of tired. The dagger like eyes didn't have their usual shine while he looked paler than usual. Harry had never seen Snape like this and wondered whether this had something to do with the conversation he had overheard some evenings before. Now that he thought of it again, Harry found himself contemplating on what Dumbledore could be doing against Voldemort.

Dumbledore had not been seen around at breakfast or lunch times but he made it a point to be there at dinner every day. Harry attributed this to the fact that maybe the Council was meeting frequently to decide on important issues and organize man hunts for the wizards who had gone missing. Or maybe Dumbledore was taking his breakfast and lunch in his office and was preparing for something. Harry just couldn't figure out what Dumbledore was up to but he knew that it had to be really serious if Snape was worried about it.

"Potter" Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the familiar but less hatred-filled voice of Snape. He looked around to see that Hermione seemed to have a badly injured arm whereas Ron was limping back to his desk. Both of them looked very unhappy and Harry guessed that it was because they had hurt each other even though they didn't want to show it now.

"Goyle" came the voice of Snape again. "Both of you get down here now"

To say Harry was surprised would be a gross understatement because Snape had always tried to pit him against Malfoy. Even as Harry got up from his seat, a murmur went around as all the other students, including Malfoy, seemed astonished. Maybe Snape has finally lost his mind, Harry thought as he reached the area in front of the classroom along with Goyle.

"Take your positions and start when I ask you to. I hope you two remember the rules" Snape said and took his position in the corner of the room. Both Harry and Goyle took up their respective positions and waited for the signal from Snape.

"Start" came the voice and Harry immediately put up a shield with the _Protego_ spell. For all he knew, Goyle would cast a stunner and would be hit by the rebound.

"_Stupefy_" came the much anticipated shout from Harry's opponent. In a fraction of a second, Harry decided he would have some fun with Malfoy. Even as the jet of light came nearer, he made a movement as if he was desperately trying to avoid getting hit by the spell. He rolled on the ground but it was so slow that everyone could swear that he was acting though no one could prove it. Even as he rolled away, he tilted his shield just as the spell hit it and the spell, instead of rebounding back towards Goyle, went flying in the direction where Harry knew Malfoy was. A small blasting sound confirmed that the spell had hit something other than Malfoy.

"What the hell was that?" Harry could here Malfoy shouting. The bench on the right side of Malfoy had been hit by the spell and it had crashed into the wall behind it.

"STOP" Snape shouted. "Potter, what do you think you are doing?" The look of loathing was back on Snape's face and Harry felt a bit relieved that this was really the original Snape and not an imposter.

"I was trying to avoid Goyle's spell Professor" Harry replied, suppressing a smile.

"Potter..." Snape had moved in quite close to him and he had lowered his voice to a level so that only Harry could hear him. "Don't try your tricks in front of me. I haven't forgotten what had happened before". Harry said nothing but kept his poker face in place as he understood that Snape was speaking about their encounter at Grimmauld Place. "Make one wrong move and..." Snape trailed off giving Harry a glare which made his spine shiver. Moving away from Harry after finishing his 'private' chat, Snape said out loud "10 points from Gryffindor for being careless. Potter, Goyle, return to your seats"

Harry's heart saddened as he returned to his seat because he had missed out on his fun duel. What still remained a mystery was that Snape had pitted him against a thick headed fellow like Goyle rather than any of the other's present. As he headed back, many people gave him a wink when they were sure Snape was not looking at them. This made him feel better since he understood that the others had enjoyed the small duel very much.

"Malfoy" Harry's head snapped up when he heard Snape calling the name of his archrival. Malfoy swaggered towards the dueling area in the front of his class as if it was his own property. "Mentieva" Harry's heart sank as he heard this name being called and he hated Snape with every part of his existence. Saving his friends from Voldemort was one thing which Harry thought was possible but saving them from Snape was out of question. Harry now understood why Malfoy had been held back by Snape. He watched Soha walking to the front of the class and saw a determined look on her face. Though he did not want her to get hurt, he still didn't know about her fighting abilities and trusted the fact that she must be a Ravenclaw for something at least. Trying to keep his face as straight as possible, he watched as the two fighters took their stance with Malfoy at the far end of the class and Soha with her back towards Snape.

"Start" came the shout from Snape and the dueling area burst into action.

"_Serpensortia_" Malfoy shouted and a huge snake came into view. Many present in the class shrieked but Soha looked quite calm.

"_Silex__ Clypeus_" Soha shouted and Harry saw that she had conjured up a block of stone just like Tonks had done. Soha drew a thin arc in the air with her wand and the stone block crashed onto the snake causing a mess on the floor. Harry felt relieved at this and sat back in a more comfortable state of mind. Soha was quite capable of handling herself and he wanted to enjoy it.

"_Chalybs__ Ballista_" Malfoy shouted and a big iron sphere made its way towards Soha. Soha made no attempt to stop it but moved aside at the last minute and the ball flew past her towards Snape. Only a last-minute spell by Snape vanquished the ball.

"_Neo Funis_" Soha shouted. A large whiplash, moving in a circular fashion around its center, was hurled towards Malfoy. Malfoy's eye's widened at this and he rolled out of its path but not before the whiplash had made a deep gash in his left arm.

"_Aegrotus__ Caput_" Malfoy said from a kneeling position and a jet of light sped towards Soha. This was a spell which caused the victim to have a severe fever for around 3 weeks. He got up and tried to back away a bit but found that he had reached the extreme end of the room.

"_Protego_" Soha said followed by "_Perverto__ Adhaero_". Malfoy dodged out of the way of his own spell which rebounded back but was hit by the second spell. Immediately his body spun around and he hit the wall which he was now facing. But instead of slumping down to the ground, he just kept sticking to it while shouting "Get me off this"

"_Expe_..." Soha began to disarm Malfoy but was stopped by a shout from Snape.

"_Finite Incantatem_" Snape shouted and Malfoy came down. Soha looked around in surprise as Snape dismissed both the duelers while Harry looked outright furious. Snape had just denied Soha from a victory she deserved though Soha didn't show her frustration in front of the others.

"I want 10 inches of parchment on dueling tactics and spells. Granger, Weasley Malfoy, off to the hospital wing" Snape said as he walked out of the class. Immediately Soha was ambushed by the students of other houses. Everyone congratulated her on such a tremendous victory and even Ron was smiling as he left the classroom. As their eyes met, Harry smiled and gave a thumbs-up signal to Soha.

The potions class was not going as expected. The potion which Fleur had asked them to make was supposed to turn greenish after 20 minutes of brewing but Harry and Soha looked on in dismay as their potion was turning grayish by the second.

"'aving problems 'arry?" Fleur asked one of the two front benchers.

"Yes professor" Harry replied with a frustrated look on his face.

Fleur just smiled at this and asked "Did you miss ze boar 'air?"

Harry slapped himself on his forehead at this. Of course, he had a gut feeling that he missed something and now that Fleur pointed it out he was angry with himself for not cross-checking the ingredients more than once. Also, he assumed that Fleur had seen them making the mistake but wanted them to learn it the hard way around.

"Thanks professor" Soha said and gave Harry a nudge. They went on to empty their cauldron and started to make the potion again. Soon the class was over but Harry and Soha remained behind to finish their potion.

"I 'eard zhat you 'ad a duel today?" Fleur asked.

"Yes professor" Harry replied. "She did great" he said pointing towards Soha.

"Yes, I 'eard Severus. 'e waz angry" Fleur replied.

"Really? How nice to hear that" Harry replied in a smug voice. Of course he knew that Snape would be angry but he normally didn't speak about his lessons to anyone around. He must have been really frustrated today to have slipped on that little detail.

"Now now arry, you zhouldn't talk about Severus like zat" Fleur said in a McGonagall like voice.

"I apologize ma'am" Harry said with a smile.

"You shouldn't smile like that too" Soha whispered furiously. Harry didn't pay any attention to it and went back to stirring the potion.

"Oh…" Fleur said as she saw the time on her watch. "…It'z nearing dinner time. You two zhould be on your way to ze great hall"

"2 minutes more please" Soha said. Their potion was almost done and needed only 30 seconds of stirring now. Soon, they were done and Harry asked Soha to hurry on while he cleaned away their desk and put away the potion in a vial. Harry was storing away the potion when Fleur spoke again.

"'ave you dezided yet?" Fleur asked.

"Decided what?" Harry said in bewilderment. Fleur's face betrayed her disappointment as Harry pondered over what he had to decide. Finally, someone switched on a light in his head.

"I am so sorry Fleur" Harry said going over to her desk and placing the potion-filled vial beside the rest of the others. "Please forgive me. I will let you know as soon as possible" This brightened up the veela and she gave an elegant nod at Harry. Harry immediately grabbed his bag and ran out of the room and towards his dormitory. He reached his trunk in 4 minutes flat and hurried to the fifth compartment. Upon reaching the place he found it to be empty. On enquiring with Dobby, he was informed that neither Tonks nor Remus had returned yet. Since he wanted to get their consent as soon as they got in, he decided to wait for them in the trunk and skip dinner at the school hall. Finally, after a wait of 30 minutes, Remus came back, with Tonks being late by another 5 minutes.

"Hi Harry. How was your day?" Remus asked when he had cleaned up and joined Harry at the dinner table. Tonks also had taken a quick shower and had joined them.

"It is not over yet" Harry informed them. "I will have to take a quick dinner and go and talk to Fleur"

"You mean that veela teacher of yours?" Tonks asked which Harry confirmed. "So, how did our mighty Potter get a late night appointment with a veela?"

"Because that woman wants to know whether we could join her in France for Christmas"

"FRANCE!" Tonks jumped up from her seat causing her chair to fall back. She turned around to pick it up and bumped her back into the table. "Ouch"

"Tonks, you shouldn't get so excited all the time" Remus knew it was foolish to give Tonks such advice but couldn't resist.

"Yeah, you could end up with high blood pressure" Harry chipped in.

"What?" Remus seemed lost. Tonks, in the meanwhile, had taken to her seat once again.

"Forget it Remus" Tonks said, her enthusiasm back in place. "So Harry, are you really serious? You mean we get to go to France? Can we go to Paris? I have heard it is a lovely and romantic place. I always…"

Harry rolled his eyes as Tonks went on and on with her narrative of what she though about France and Paris in particular. Both Harry and Remus continued with their dinner in silence and finally, after talking non-stop for over 8 minutes, Tonks managed to stop.

"So Harry, are we really going there?" Her enthusiasm seemed to be growing by the minute.

"Only if we accept her invitation and you stop calling her a veela" Harry replied with a slight glare. Tonks held up her hands defensively and said "Sorry dear. Just go and tell that beautiful girl that we accept her invitation. If she wants us to go over there tomorrow itself then also we are ready for it"

"Tonks…" Remus gave her another glare.

"Hey…you always take my words in a wrong manner" Tonks said with a hurt face. "I never thought that you two of all people…" and her voice trailed off as she stared down at her dinner plate.

"Ok Tonks…" Harry said "…I think I will open a movie company and give you a role in my first movie". Though Tonks was still looking downwards, Harry could swear she was smiling. "So, do I confirm it?" Harry asked finally. Both Tonks and Remus gave an affirmative nod to Harry.

Harry, who had just finished his dinner, looked at his watch which read 9:10 pm. He still had 50 minutes in hand before the curfew and he decided that he would inform Fleur tonight itself. With a quick 'see you soon' to the other's, Harry proceeded towards out of the trunk and towards Fleur's office.

**&&&&**

Fleur was looking around for Harry during dinner time. She didn't know what made her look for him but she knew it was him that she was missing. She had a feeling that Harry would return with an answer tonight itself but still she couldn't be sure about it. She wondered what it was that was keeping Harry from either accepting or rejecting the offer and she was having a horrible time giving different excuses to Gabrielle as to why she couldn't ask Harry. Truth be told, she didn't want to pressurize Harry and also the fact that she seldom found him alone didn't help matters either. She had seen a god gifted chance today and had decided on 'now' rather than 'never' and had found, much to her disappointment, that Harry had forgotten about her offer.

Nonetheless, Fleur hoped Harry would accept the offer. She was also concerned with the recent developments in Harry's life. During the Triwizard Tournament, she had seen the golden trio together all the time but nowadays seeing them together seemed equivalent to seeing all the planets of the solar system in a single linear path. Harry had changed from when she had last seen him at the end of her seventh year. He seemed happy with his friends at that time and they seemed to be with him through thick and thin but the Harry of current time was an altogether different proposition to handle. This Harry was much more hardened and worldly wise. Also, this Harry seemed to be the happiest when he was alone though Fleur had a feeling that his emotions were much different than what it seemed from the top. Sometimes she wondered whether the events of Harry's fifth year had done something irreparable to him, which had caused a change which none of his friends would ever have wanted.

As Fleur made her way towards her office, which had her living quarters attached to them, she wondered what it was that made Harry different from the other people. From what she had heard from her colleagues and had seen during the tournament, Harry was always the kind who would do anything to help others and this list of 'others' was not a biased one. Even during the fight during the welcoming feast, he had taken great pains to not only save a Slytherin, but also made sure that she was not even scratched. This spoke volumes for a person's character and Fleur felt that she would never have done such a thing at her own risk and neither would many of her colleagues or students. With these thoughts in her mind, she entered her office and removed the anti-veela charm.

Ever since Fleur had become an adult, her veela powers had grown significantly. Her mother, a half-veela herself, had taught her over a period of a month as to how to control her charm. Initially it had been tough but nowadays it had become almost her second nature to control the level of her charm which, even at its highest level, was not close to the power of a full veela. During the evenings or rather after her dinner, she never took care to control her charm as no one came to her office. But today, even as she was thinking of retiring to bed, there was a sharp knock on the door. Almost absent mindedly, she asked the person to come in.

"Hello Fleur" Harry said breathlessly since he had been running all the way to her office. Suddenly he felt a strange feeling come over him. It seemed very much like the imperious curse which the fake Moody had put over him but much milder in effect. He focused slightly harder and the effect seemed to vanish.

Fleur, in the meanwhile, seemed to realize that her anti-veela charm had been removed and looked anxious for a moment. Her anxiousness was overcome as soon as she saw Harry give a shake of his head and give her a clear and open smile, which was his usual.

"About the Christmas offer you gave me, can I ask two of my friends to come with me?" Harry asked in a perfectly normal manner which astonished Fleur to some extent.

"Yez, of courze" Fleur said, recovering from her initial shock. Even though she was a quarter veela, her charm was not too weak to be resisted so easily. "Ron 'nd Hermione?" Fleur asked. She watched as a strange expression passed over Harry's face before Harry shook his head.

"No. Tonks and Remus" Harry said.

"I see. Izn't Tonks ze person who saved Hermione?" Fleur asked curiously. Harry nodded his head affirmatively. "And Remus?"

"He is a friend of my dad" Harry replied brightly. Fleur smiled at him and said "A friend of yourz iz most welcome at ze Delacour Manor"

"Then it is confirmed. We accept your invitation" Harry replied with a grin.

"Thanks 'arry. Gabrielle will be very 'appy" Fleur replied. Harry said a quick 'good night' to her and made his way back to his dormitory while Fleur took out a parchment and sat down at her writing desk in her room.

_Dear Gabrielle,_

_How are you doing? I hope you are getting ready for your school next year. Always listen carefully to what mother and father have to say and follow their instructions carefully._

_I know you are angry with me because I couldn't provide an answer to whether Harry would be coming or not but today he gave me his answer. He is coming elle, he is coming! He told me just a few minutes ago and he even asked if he could bring two of his friends over. I said yes and he said he would be very happy to see you again. Won't that be great? I really think that we will have a great Christmas this year._

_Now elle, are you angry with me anymore? Sorry dear but I really couldn't help it. I hope you forgive me._

_You know what, I am teaching all sorts of things to the students here. The Slytherins are still giving me a lot of trouble because I am not pure-blooded but the others are very nice to me. Some of them even come over in their spare time and have a nice chat with me. We can't have the best of everything every time, can we? I am really happy to teach here._

_You want to know another thing; your 'hero' is not the best in potions and makes silly mistakes sometimes. Really, is he still your hero? Think about it again dear._

_Sorry, I was just teasing you. Now don't get angry with me or I will ask Harry not to come. Hehe…isn't that nice. All these years you used to blackmail me with one thing or another and now I have something to blackmail you with. Hmmm…I will take this issue very 'seriously'._

_Anyway elle, I have to stop here. I will write to you soon again. Give my love to mother and father and plenty of kisses, hugs and love for you._

_Yours forever,_

_Flu._

Folding the letter and putting it in an envelope, Fleur beckoned towards her owl which took the letter and proceeded to deliver it. After watching her owl fly out of a magical window which was specially placed there by Dumbledore, Fleur went over to her desk and too out her diary from one of its drawers.

_September 20'th_

_Dear diary,_

_I had another terrible day today which, thankfully, ended on a happy note. The Slytherins are awful, especially that Malfoy boy. He always says awful things about me and I get very angry. It takes me all my will power to not transform and flame him but I think I will give him a taste of how it feels to be at the receiving end of a half-breed's anger. I really hate him. The other Slytherins are not so bad but they have a look in their eyes which says a lot. But at the end of the day something wonderful happened. Harry agreed to come over to our house for Christmas._

_I must say that today's encounter with Harry was a shocking one for me. He seemed to have forgotten everything about my invitation but when I reminded him, he said he would let me know as soon as possible. What I didn't expect was that he would let me know about it tonight itself._

_I had just returned from dinner and had removed the charm when Harry came in. I was stunned to say the least when he talked to me normally instead of drooling all over. During the tournament too, he had behaved with me normally but my veela powers were not that strong at that time. Anyone else today would have started jumping all over the place and showing off but not Harry. He seemed effected for only a split second after which he returned back to normal. How – I don't know!_

_There is something about him which puzzles me. I don't know what but he seems very different. I have seen many men in my life but no one behaved with me the way Harry does. Even Bill had fallen a victim to my veela charm and it was only later that I realized, with great regret, that it was the veela which had attracted Bill and not the person. And Harry is not a man yet. For all I know, he is just a 16 year old boy._

_Harry asked me whether he could bring his two friends with him and I agreed to it. The woman called Tonks and the man called Remus seem to be very close to him. I don't know what to say but I feel that if he ever called me a friend, it would mean a great deal to me._

_Harry Potter – it always comes down to him at Hogwarts. He helps people, doesn't care what happens to him, has fought You-Know-Who several times and is still alive, is famous but never uses it for anything and is unaffected by my veela charm. I don't know but the more I see of him, the more I feel that he is a puzzle which I can't solve._

_Who is this person named Harry Potter?_

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 13'th chapter. Again late by 4 days. I am really getting good at being late. Anyways, better late than never.

About Fleur – I have almost no idea about French accent but I am trying to get something going. If anyone wants to help then you are most welcome. Also, I guessed that Fleur's written English should be better than her spoken one and hence the letter and the diary contain _clean_ English.

If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.

**IntoTheMist**– This won't be a Harry/Ginny for sure. And I think I have tried to bring Neville to the forefront a bit.

**grookill** – Thanks for your suggestions. I will keep them in mind.

**dnd4ever** – Thanks for pointing out Ginny's real name.

**johnapple** – Harry and Ginny may get close but it won't be a H/G.

**Dumbledore** – According to me, Harry isn't strong enough to take on a giant by himself. Maybe he will be able to take on giants with advanced spells later on but not now. Add to this the fact that Harry wanted the D.A. to take care of the situation. School politics :)

**Zaptor** – Nothing personal but I never try to give my story an original twist because it is original. I have borrowed very few concepts of others knowingly – the Fidelius, the trunk and the Gringotts wallet. A few weeks ago, I learnt from a member of my group that the presence of a room of requirement in a trunk was already in some book and I was quite disappointed. Now I think that there must be many aspects which are common to other stories. Many people think that most of the things here are taken from other fics but I assure you (and the others) that it is not. If there are some similar things then I really can't help it as I have stopped reading all fics which have Harry as the central character. As you can see from the frequency with which my chapters are posted that this is all planned out and not dependent on other stories. Also, this was the reason I posted a note at the end of chapter 11 saying that I have figured out (my personal reasoning) the final battle and why Dumbledore won't kill Voldemort. Believe me; it would not be because of the prophecy.

From what I have guessed from the reviews, my battle narrations and character handling is not like what is present in the other fics and hopefully someday, you guys will tell some other writer that they have been inspired by my writing style ;)

Once again, don't take this comment personally because I feel that there are many others who might think along the same lines. Thanks for your review :)

**Szihuoko** – Apology accepted. I appreciate constructive criticism but please try to phrase them in a manner so that I don't get the wrong idea. Also, I consider all reviews and ideas with great respect :). Finally, if I was too rude then please accept my apology.

**TimGold** – I was just wondering whether you are planning to sue me or not ;)

**TuxedoMac** – Thanks for your regular comments.

**To all those people whose names I didn't mention here** – Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	14. Waiting For Something

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).****

Note: US English has been used here.****

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 14 - Waiting For Something**

_…Harry Potter - it always comes down to him at Hogwarts. He helps people, doesn't care what happens to him, has fought You-Know-Who several times and is still alive, is famous but never uses it for anything and is unaffected by my veela charm. I don't know but the more I see of him, the more I feel that he is a puzzle which I can't solve._

_Who is this person named Harry Potter?_

**&&&&**

Harry looked at himself in the mirror as he wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. There had been quite some changes in his features from the last time he had carefully looked at his reflection. His eyes seemed a bit more sunken now, even though they still had their bright shining sparkle, and his jaw line was also more pronounced than before. Though his rigorous training routine, along with his school work, seemed to be taking their toll on him (he thought he looked thinner than what he was a month ago), somehow he thought that he looked much calmer than before. He attributed this to the fact that his daily meditation had made him much aware of his mind and had helped him gain control of his emotions.

Emotions - that was the keyword to everything going on in the wizarding world nowadays. It had led to the rise of a dark wizard like Voldemort who was being driven by his emotions to become the supreme authority in the wizarding world. Emotions had led to people following Voldemort, emotions had led to so many deaths, emotions had led to the complete destruction of people's minds, emotions had led to light wizards rising up to the challenge, emotions had led to the battle which was going on, emotions had led to Harry's own existence.

Harry sighed at the thought of his parents. They had seemed so happy with him in their photographs and looked so hopelessly in love with each other. He had pondered on the thought many times as to how it would have been if they had been still alive but could never actually visualize it properly. Mrs. Weasley had been the closest thing to a mother for him but somewhere deep down, his heart told him that his own mother would not be _that_ protective. After all, she had married James Potter and would have known that Harry would inherit some of his genes. That would be the most obvious reason why she wouldn't try to protect him too much - after all, he would still get his things done like his dad. But…

But - this had been another stumbling block in Harry's mind. But maybe his mother would have been more protective than others. Maybe his father would have tried to stop him from taking too many risks in the initial stages of his life. Maybe his father had made up his mind that his son would not, or rather should not, lead the kind of adventurous life which he had been living. Maybe they wanted him to be a ministry official. Or maybe they just wanted to be left alone and remain happy. These thoughts seemed to be plaguing him much more than usual today so Harry decided that the best way to take his mind off these matters was to practice harder. And this he did.

**&&&&**

Tonks had got up for a quick snack in the middle of the night. Well, it was the middle of the night for her in her room's timeline but she knew that once she got out of her room, she would find Harry working on something or the other as his timeline was always set to a faster one than the real timeline. Today though, it seemed to her that everything seemed unnaturally quite as she stumbled out of her room. Calling out to Dobby and asking him to fix a quick snack for her, she made her way towards the dining table. What she saw was not what she was used to.

There were 10 Harry Potter's in the dueling area (which seemed to have been expanded) adjoining the dining room and it seemed like a 9 to 1 fight was going on. Tonks was used to seeing a 4 to 1 fight training and lately, a 5 to 1 training schedule but a 9 to 1 was unprecedented. Tonks was sure that she was seeing things but even after rubbing her eyes twice, none of the Harry's seemed to disappear. Now that she looked on more carefully, she realized that a serious fight was going on and the real Harry seemed to have a lot of emotions on his face. Not wanting to interfere, Tonks sat down quietly at the dining table and started to eat the snack Dobby had provided. As she looked on, she saw something in Harry's features which had not been there for quite some time now. He seemed troubled and restless.

**&&&&**

Harry had become really upset regarding all the thoughts which had come up in his mind and all he wanted now was revenge. Revenge for what he could have had but he didn't, revenge for the life he had been forced to live, revenge for Sirius and most importantly revenge from Voldemort. He didn't know what had caused him to take on 9 opponents but somehow he knew that something inside him was itching to be released. His thoughts were filled with the deepest hatred he had ever felt as he dodged another spell from one of his opponents. As he jumped behind a couch, he fired a stunning spell at one of his opponents but was disappointed to see that he had missed his opponent by a long way.

Behind the couch, Harry calmed himself consciously by breathing deeply. He knew that even though he had taken on 9 opponents in a spur-of-the-moment decision, this could very well be a real-life situation and if he wanted to defeat death eaters, it better start from defeating his opponents here. With this thought in his mind and also a deep hatred in his heart, he looked up from behind his couch. He just had the time to see that his opponents were within 10 meters when a spell came blasting towards him and he had to duck behind the couch again. Making up his mind on the course of action, he turned himself invisible with the help of his glove. This was the first time he was using this feature in a duel and he really hoped that he would be able to pull it off. Standing up slowly, he saw that his opponents were within 7 meters from him in a semi-circular formation and everyone had their wands raised. All at once, he saw nine _Reducio_ spells shooting towards the couch and he jumped away just in time, firing a spell in mid-air, which had become one of his specialties.

Just as the spell was fired, his opponents immediately pointed at the spot from where the streak of light had emerged and fired off stunning spells but they all missed by a mile as Harry was already in another corner of the room. The real Harry gave a wave of his wand and a huge stone block, which he had conjured up with the spell he had just fired, came down crashing on the other side of the room. All his opponents turned around to look at what had caused the sound and immediately they blew apart the whole conjured block with splinters going off in all directions. But the time which took them to look around and blast the conjured block was exactly the time Harry had been asking for.

_"Diversionary tactics are best used when you are outnumbered by your opponents._" Harry remembered this line from the book of tactics he read from time to time. Another line which was going through his mind was from a dueling book "_If you see that the number of opponents are too large and very close to you, then try to take them out with one single spell, which may range from a group stunning spell to some other creative option. A group stunning spell requires immense amount of magical power and hence can be performed by powerful wizards_". Harry knew that he was not powerful enough to perform a group stunning spell and hence he needed a better, more intelligent option which could knock out all his opponents. He already knew what he would prefer to do but it needed some time, which he had managed to obtain. Still invisible to the others, but having the advantage that they wouldn't be able to pin-point his location as they had their backs towards him, Harry made a quick wand movement and said "Arceo Cella".

As soon as Harry said the spell, a bright white rectangular room seemed to form around his opponents. "_Chalybs Ballista Plurimus Cella Propero_" came the next complicated and ancient spell from Harry even as his opponents had turned to face their unseen foe. Harry had read about this spell a week back and he had practiced for 5 days before he could finally manage to master the spell. Even as his spell took effect, Harry's opponents started firing random curses towards the area in which they believed Harry was. Unknown and unseen to them, Harry had already moved away to the other corner of the room and was watching the effect of his second spell - a huge iron ball which had appeared in the enchanted room which he had created. Slowly the iron ball started moving around the room and upon hitting one of the walls, it bounced back and headed towards another wall. All of Harry's opponents had now forgotten about their original foe and were firing curses at the moving iron ball which seemed to be gaining in speed. One of the curses hit the ball breaking it into numerous pieces but instead of those pieces crumbling to the ground, each of them seemed to shape itself into another iron ball and started to zoom around.

Harry watched in wonder at how the complex spell worked and wondered why the wizarding schools didn't teach all the ancient spells. Around 12 iron balls were now zooming around the enchanted room in all sorts of directions and they were picking up pace at an incredible rate. Soon one of his opponents had been hit by one of the balls and had vanished, which was the room's way of withdrawing its competitors once they were defeated. As Harry watched, one by one each of his opponents were being taken down even as they kept on blasting the iron balls, generating multiple others. Some of them were even trying to break through the enchanted room but were having little success. Within a minute, the whole of the enchanted room created by Harry was filled with over 50 iron balls and the last of his opponents had been struck down. With a wave of his wand and muttering the counter spell, both the room and its contents vanished and Harry proceeded towards the dining area deep in thought. He knew he would have to come up with a new strategy the next time because the _duplicate_ Harry's would now have the knowledge of the two advanced spells he had used.

"That was awesome". Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Tonks who now looked wide awake. "I mean, those spells you used were quite advanced and you easily took care of so many opponents"

"Well…" Harry replied a bit tiredly "…all it needed was a bit of common sense really. Once your opponents are quite close in…hold on, what are you doing here right now?" It was most unlike Tonks to be at the dining table in front of an empty plate. Harry knew about Tonks's habits and according to his knowledge, Tonks should be in dreamland by now.

"Well, I had got up for a snack and saw you dueling. I just thought that I better watch out for you" Tonks replied with a smile. "But you don't look so great today". The look on Tonks face had changed to one of concern as she said this and went on to add "Is something bothering you or are you having any visions lately?"

"No. I…I…" Harry stammered slightly before saying "…I am not feeling ok today". Looking at the look Tonks was giving him, he quickly added "I think it was something I ate yesterday".

"If you say so" Tonks replied, though her face told Harry that she didn't believe him. Tonks surveyed him curiously for a few uneasy seconds before finally got up with a yawn. Harry was relieved when she said that she felt sleepy once again and he said a quick 'good night' to her as she proceeded towards her room.

Harry sat down at the dining table even as he watched Tonks enter (or stumble into) her room. He knew that there was no hiding from Tonks or Remus as they could read his features too well. Remus let him have his space but Tonks always seemed to pounce on him and bombarded him with all sorts of questions. He sighed as he thought of how close Tonks had been this time when she said that he didn't look great today. He himself had been feeling quite out of sorts and this was mainly due to the fact that his mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of his mom and dad. Giving his head a vigorous shake, as if it would get rid of his thoughts, he got up and headed for an extra training session.

**&&&&**

"Hi Neville" Harry greeted his room mate as they were getting ready for classes. It had been quite a long time since he himself had approached Neville and now that he thought about it, he didn't remember greeting Neville himself ever since school had started. 22 days were a long time indeed.

"Hi Harry" Neville said with a smile as he looked around to find only Harry and himself in the room. "You don't seem to be sleeping in your bed lately"

"Actually…" Harry said "…I sleep in my trunk. It has a bedroom in it and I feel more comfortable in there"

"Oh…" Neville said as he understood that the trunk must be one of the multi-compartment trunks.

"So, how is the D.A. coming around?" Harry asked. He had wanted to ask this question for a long time but never had had the chance with everyone else present around all the time.

"Fine I suppose" Neville replied. "Cho and I now understand what kind of pressure and frustration you must have gone through when you were teaching us"

Ignoring the hidden compliment in Neville's words, Harry continued "So, any new members?"

"Yes" Neville seemed excited. "We have got a lot of new members. To be precise, we are trying to recruit 40 students just like the headmaster had told us". Harry only nodded to this remembering the conversation Neville and Cho had with the 'headmaster' in the trunk.

"So Neville, how many have you managed?"

"24" Neville replied. "Recruitments from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are over. Hufflepuff have 4 members and we hope to finish their selection in 2-3 days"

"What about the Slytherins?" Harry knew that the Slytherins would be the hardest to convince.

"Well…actually there have been some enquiries by some students but they are afraid" Neville said in a voice which carried a hint of helplessness in it. "They are too afraid to do anything which might be seen as shameful in the eyes of their seniors"

"Hmm…" Harry seemed lost in thought for a moment. Of course, being taught by a Gryffindor or any member of any other house would be a shameful thing in the eyes of many Slytherins.

"Hey, we are getting late" Neville's shout bought Harry out of his thoughts. Looking at his watch he saw that Neville was indeed right and that they had only 30 minutes left before their first class and they still had not taken their breakfast! Harry told Neville that he would think about how to convince the Slytherins and rushed off towards the great hall. Neville followed just behind Harry and if Harry had turned around, he would have seen a very thoughtful looking Neville behind him.

**&&&&**

Another horrible day, Harry thought as he entered the trunk for the night outside. He had been able to perform well in all his classes but what made his day terrible to bear was the amount of homework assigned. Already McGonagall was talking about N.E.W.T's and she wanted them to study even harder than they were doing now. Surprisingly Fleur had also asked them to study well because each and every potion they were brewing could well lead to a question in their final examinations. Only Flitwick seemed to be a sane man and the work he assigned was short and to the point while Snape seemed to be asking for 12 inches of parchment daily.

After a quick shower, Harry proceeded towards the dining table where Remus and Tonks were already waiting for him. It had become a daily routine for the others to wait for him if he was late or vice-versa. Basically, they loved to have dinner along with each other and all of them used this time period to talk about both light and serious issues.

"Wotcher Harry. Why are you so late? I am starving" Tonks looked ready to attack the food which Dobby had placed before them but couldn't do so as Harry still had not taken his seat. Harry, after his terrible day, wanted to make most of the situation and walked right past the dining table.

"HEY!" Tonks shouted. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" With a scream, she got up from her seat and knocked over her chair once again. Harry didn't even bother to look back and went into the dueling room whose transparent walls instantly turned opaque. Tonks started to run after him but stumbled on her own chair.

"Ouch" Tonks rubbed her knees as she got up. "I will get that boy today" she said through gritted teeth. At the tone of her voice, even Remus looked quite alarmed. As Tonks entered the dueling room, another door appeared on the other side of the room and Harry came running out, a smile spread over his face. Quickly taking his seat, he questioned Remus loudly "Now where did Tonks go? I am starving here." Just then, in walked Tonks or rather in flew a rage filled Tonks.

"There you are" Tonks said in a deadly whisper. "It won't take a dark lord to kill you Potter" Tonks maintained her tone as she walked slowly towards the table. Even Harry had a concerned look on his face now. "Don't you want to know why?"

"N…no Tonks" Harry stammered, looking quite alarmed. "I…I don't want to know…I…I want to ea…eat"

"No Potter" Tonks was very near to Harry now. "Today you will have dinner with Peeves because…I WILL KILL YOU" Tonks shouted and jumped towards Harry. Harry, using his quidditch honed skills, jumped out of her reach and immediately took off at full speed with Tonks at his heels. In all this excitement, anger and fear, both of them had forgotten that they could do magic and had decided to deal with the other in the old fashioned muggle way which was to run.

Remus, on the other hand, was quietly looking on and was eating the plate of meatloaf in front of him. Even though Tonks and Harry were not there, all of them had been seated at the dinner table that night and, technically, he had started his dinner after the last member had taken the seat. Watching quietly, he saw Tonks stumble and land hard on her stomach while Harry had turned around and was looking concerned. For all Remus knew, this was a trick of Tonks and he knew that Harry would fall for it because he had a tendency to help people. As if on cue, Harry walked towards Tonks and tried to help her up.

"GOTCHA" Tonks shouted as she got up with great speed and pinned Harry to the ground. "I am going to kill you now". Tonks hissed through gritted teeth. If Harry hadn't known better, he would have bet 100 galleons that Tonks was a madwoman. "Hold on" Tonks said, her sneer had changed somewhat giving way to an awkward expression. "Stay here" she said as she got up and let Harry go.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"SHUT UP" Tonks bellowed. "And don't move. I'll be back"

"When?" Harry asked in amusement now.

"After I finish my dinner. I need strength to finish you off." Tonks said with a glare towards Harry. "And don't you dare move from your place" came the added warning. Harry was smiling openly now and got up slowly. He knew Tonks was not serious but also acknowledged the fact that she really had a way of making things look unique each time.

"Sorry Tonks" Harry said meekly as he approached the dining table. Remus was halfway through his dinner and seemed least concerned in all the dramatics which were going on around him and missed out on the glare which Tonks gave Harry.

"I said 'sorry'." Harry repeated, emphasizing on the last word. Still getting no response, Harry knew that there was only one way to get out of this and that was to trade something for what had happened. "Ok, what do I have to do to make up?" Harry could have sworn that there had been a flicker of triumph on Tonks face but he couldn't be sure.

"Liar" Tonks said offhandedly as she continued her muching.

"No. I really mean it" Harry said as he took his seat and started on his dinner. "What do I have to do?"

"Well, you can start by fixing me an appointment with that veela teacher of yours" Tonks said, her face breaking into a genuine smile this time.

"Who?" Harry asked sternly as he looked up from his dinner and immediately Tonks knew she had made a mistake by calling Fleur a veela. Even though everyone knew that she was a veela, Tonks knew that Harry hated discrimination of people based on their breed or origins or on any other thing for that matter. There was only one thing which Harry wouldn't argue against and that was the differentiating of people based on their gender.

"I…I meant that beautiful potions teacher of yours" Tonks said putting up her most innocent smile. Harry couldn't help but smile at her.

"And why would you want that?" Harry asked as he took a bite of his own meatloaf.

"It's private" Tonks replied.

"Hmmm…" Harry replied, nodding his head slightly, giving neither a positive nor a negative reply. Remus, who had been watching from the sidelines for some time now, seemed to be counting something.

"It's a girls thing" Tonks said, frustration creeping into her voice. She didn't like it when Harry made a non-committal gesture.

"Hmmm…" came the same response again. Remus seemed to continue on his counting regardless of what was going on. All of a sudden, Tonks got up and started to stomp off towards her room.

"Hey Tonks" Remus called out. On seeing that Tonks had stopped and was listening to what he wanted to say, Remus added "You were able to hold on for 54 seconds this time".

"You..." Tonks screeched and tried to make a grab at Remus's neck when Harry stopped her.

"Ok...ok...calm down" Harry said as he separated Tonks from Remus. Looking at the rage on Tonks face, Harry knew that this time his teasing had continued for too long and he decided to make up for it. "I will ask Fleur when she will be free. Happy?" Harry knew that Tonks would be happy with this arrangement and saw her smile confirming his thoughts. Harry loved this nature of Tonks - she could forget all her anger in a minute just as a child would stop crying after he or she had got hold of their favorite toy.

"Thank you Harry" Tonks said before settling down to finish the rest of her dinner.

"Guys…" Harry said. "…I got to go for some time. Don't worry I will be in the visitor's room. I got to meet some people". With this said Harry said good night to both Tonks and Remus and proceeded to the guest room which had appeared as if it had been always there.

"Hello guys" Harry said to his two guests as soon as they 'appeared' in the room.

"Hi buddy" Fred and George chorused. "First tell us how our equipment is working". The twins had delivered the centralized listening device to Harry about 10 days back and seemed excited at the prospect of hearing about it's performance.

"Well…" Harry said, fingering the air just below his left ear. "…it is picking up all sorts of sounds. It hasn't picked up anything useful yet"

"Well, it will mate…"

"Give it time…"

"We are selling a lot of stuff…"

"And many people are getting gifts with spying devices in them"

"By the way" Harry interrupted the twins "What are you giving away as gifts?" Both the twins seemed pleased at this question and it was obvious to Harry that they had thought of something which was quite ingenious and which most of the wizards wouldn't think of.

"Hats" Both the twins said.

"Muggle hats?" Harry queried.

"Do we look like fools?" Fred asked with a hurt expression. Harry put up both his hands in a surrendering gesture. At this, George continued "We are giving away wizarding hats. But this is just one of the items"

"What are the others?" Harry asked.

"We made a list of what the death eaters wear" George said.

"And…" Fred continued "…for every purchase above 50 galleons, we offer a hooded kids robe and for every purchase of over 100 galleons, we are giving the customer a full fledged hooded robe for an adult member of the family. Mind you, these are the total amount for a month's purchase"

"WHAT!" Harry exclaimed. "These gifts must be expensive"

"Not as much as you think" Fred winked. "We have entered into a wholesale contract with Madam Malkin and she is giving us robes at a discount"

"But how the hell do you get a death eater or anyone else to come in and give the measurements?"

"We don't" George answered. "We just ask the customer for the size of the person's gown they would like. Also we ask for an old gown, if possible, which would fit them and then we give the measurements to Madam Malkin. She makes them stretchable up to 6 inches"

"But do these have prospect?" Harry still had his doubts.

"What do you mean?" Fred asked, as if Harry had committed a sacrilege. "We are making sales like never before"

"But…" Harry still seemed thoughtful. "…well, you guys aren't earning too much out of it. I mean, you must be making a loss out of it"

"No mate" George replied. "We have gone on a different strategy altogether. We are going for profits on bulk. Though our profits have lessened on a per sale basis, we are making more profits on the overall amount of sales"

"If you say so" Harry shrugged his shoulders even as his left hand was fingering thin air near his left ear.

"Hey" Fred said. "Don't keep touching the ear-ring otherwise people will wonder what you are doing. I must say it was a stroke of genius that made us come up with an invisible ear-ring as the receptor device."

"Yeah…" George said. "…My genius"

"Hey, it was my idea" Fred exclaimed.

"In your dreams brother" George replied.

"Exactly" Fred said. "I dreamt about the whole thing"

"Will you two guys stop?" Harry exclaimed. "It was your combined efforts and idea"

"You sure?" Fred asked with a questioning look. George looked on as if Harry had disrespected something sacred.

"Yeah. And if you still have doubts then you can forget about the new business I was about to talk to you about" Harry replied sternly.

"Oh yeah…" George looked thoughtful. "…I think I remember Fred giving some advice"

"Yeah" Fred said. "I also remember us talking about the ear-ring. Well, it's settled then that we both contributed to the idea"

"Right" Harry said. "But tell me one thing; can't your devices be detected by some magic detectors?"

"Of course" George exclaimed. "But the thing is that we have camouflaged the magic. If someone detected it, they would come across a self-cleaning spell or a polishing charm or a joke charm."

"Right" Harry seemed satisfied with the explanation and was marveling at what the twins could, or rather could not, do. "Now we can talk about the new business". With that, Harry went on to explain the whole concept behind 'Sknoher Security Services' without the twins interrupting him once. Harry guessed that it was because the twins had matured enough to understand that talking rubbish during important business matters doesn't help in moving along matters.

"Great idea Harry" Fred said after Harry had finished his explanation. "We will start working on the required details from tomorrow"

"Ok" Harry said. "You two better start having some employees in your shop as you will be busy with this new thing"

"We already have Angelina working with us" George said before adding with a wink "A bit of glamour helps sales". Harry just smiled at this.

"But mate…" Fred looked thoughtful "If everything goes according to plan, then you will need people for full time monitoring"

"Don't worry about that" Harry replied. "I have trusted people with me"

"If you say so" this time it was George who said this with a shrug. "And what about the employees to run your shop?"

"I will have to think about it a bit. I will let you guys know about it soon" Harry said.

After that, the talk shifted to some lighter issues. Harry queried about Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and was happy to learn that they were doing well. The only matter of concern for the Weasleys was that Percy was not in contact with any of them and he never even came to visit them. All of Harry's instincts were pushing him to tell the twins about Percy but he decided not to do so. Instead, he suggested to the twins about why they didn't move from The Burrow to a better place now that they had a successful business running. The twins said they had such plans and were hoping to move within a year or so and it was supposed to be a surprise for the whole of the family. They made Harry promise that he wouldn't tell anyone about this which Harry gladly did.

Harry went on to offer them a loan to buy a new home which they could repay in 24 installments. The twins informed him that they would think about it and will let him know about it later on. Finally, after setting a deadline of October 10'th for the opening of Sknoher Security Services, the twins took a portkey from Harry and went back to their homes.

Harry also thought that it was getting late and went to his bed after thanking Dobby for providing the twins with the portkey which brought them here, which made Dobby misty eyed. Before going to sleep, Harry meditated for about 20 minutes and then made a mental note of finishing off his homework the first thing the next day. After all, he had to make good use of all the extra time which the trunk could provide.

**&&&&**

"It seems Mr. Potter that you have prioritized you works" Professor McGonagall said to Harry as she finished her explanation of the theory behind conjuring of objects of more than 100 vertexes. Harry always had a 45 minute break before the potions classes and for the past 3 days, he had requested McGonagall for some theoretical explanations in private.

"I am trying to" Harry replied softly as he gathered his notes.

"Ever thought of bringing in Quidditch in your priority list?" McGonagall asked. Minerva McGonagall was not known to ask the same thing to the same person over and over again but obviously, quidditch meant a lot to her. On not getting a prompt reply from Harry and seeing his squirming, she quickly changed the topic "How long do you want to continue these classes?"

For all Harry knew, McGonagall wouldn't have been happier if he had said 'forever' as she was quite similar in nature to Hermione. Harry guessed that Hermione would grow up to become like McGonagall but as he didn't have any plans to continue forever, he replied "As soon as I get hold of the basics I will stop bothering you ma'am". Harry thought that he had seen a smirk on the face of McGonagall but then thought that he must have been mistaken.

"Very well Mr. Potter. You may go now"

Harry walked slowly towards the Potions classroom and failed to notice some people staring at him strangely. He was lost in thought, mainly regarding Dumbledore who had been present at breakfast today after an absence of 2 days. It was most unlike Dumbledore to go missing for 2 days added to the fact that no announcement had been made. One part of Harry reasoned that if Dumbledore had left Hogwarts for 2 days, then someone must have taken over and an announcement should have been likely made. But the other part of him reasoned that an announcement would have made Hogwarts more vulnerable to external attacks as Voldemort would have taken up that opportunity. A third voice in Harry's mind questioned the fact whether Dumbledore had indeed left Hogwarts or not and if he hadn't left Hogwarts, then why didn't he attend the meals? One question led to another which, inevitably, led to another and Harry felt as if his mind was falling apart. Thinking so deeply was Hermione's department but now Harry had to do it himself.

Hermione and Ron. How much Harry missed them was beyond his words and he always tried to keep himself busy so that he wouldn't be plagued by guilt. He hadn't given an explanation as to why he was 'leaving' them but he also knew that an explanation would have been the last thing they would have listened to. They were great friends to have and seeing them from a distance hurt him even more. Well, he reasoned as he entered the potions classroom, at least they are back to talking to each other.

"Today you will learn ze Phantom Potion. Can anyone tell what it iz?" Professor Fleur Delacour asked as she took charge of the class. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Hermione's hand shooting up and then coming down when she had got permission from Fleur to speak.

"The Phantom Potion is a potion which basically does nothing. It can take on the appearance and taste of any of the potions which have been made till date. It cannot be totally categorized as a potion because it also requires a magic spell for it's preparation but since the potion work is greater, hence it is classified as a potion"

"Ms. Granger" Fleur's voice was quite stern and the whole class looked slightly surprised with some envious students hoping that Hermione had been wrong. "If you continue to give such detailed and correct explanations..." at this Fleur smiled "...then I will most probably lose my job. 10 Points to Gryffindor". Hermione blushed deeply at this compliment and Harry could see that there was a slight trace of relief on her face but he quickly turned back to face Fleur again. After all the work he had done in avoiding his friends, he didn't want them to catch him staring at them. Soon, all of them were busy taking notes about the Phantom Potion.

"Damn" Harry cursed himself inwardly as he reached the Gryffindor tower. He had planned to ask Fleur when she would be free to talk to Tonks but had entirely forgotten about it. Well, Harry thought, I would have to ask her some other time but more importantly, I will have to remember that I have something to ask. As Harry entered the common room, he saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny sitting near the fireplace with Ginny occupying what used to be Harry's chair. He again felt a pang of guilt but decided to hold onto his emotions and proceeded towards his room. As he was climbing up the stairs, he remembered that he had not checked on a certain friend for a long time - Hagrid.

Hagrid might be able to provide some clues as to what was wrong with Dumbledore and what exactly was going on. Deciding not to wait any longer, he quickly grabbed his father's invisibility cloak and proceeded out of the Gryffindor tower. When he was sure that no one was watching him, he put on the cloak, proceeded towards the grounds and finally found himself in front of Hagrid's hut. He knocked sharply twice and was at once greeted by the barking of Fang from inside. Within seconds, the half-giant opened the door and was surprised to see no one outside.

"It's me, Harry" Harry whispered before Hagrid closed the door or did something else.

"Oh..." Hagrid understood that Harry was under his dad's invisibilty cloak. "Go inside, I will follow you soon" Hagrid said. As Harry was proceeding inside, he saw that Hagrid seemed to be pretending to shout at Fang for making a mess inside. Even Fang was stunned into silence for a few moments before Hagrid finally came inside, closing the door behind him, and patted him on his head for being a good boy.

"Ya shoul be in the castle" Hagrid said to Harry as soon as his eyes rested on the boy.

"I know" Harry replied as he surveyed Hagrid. Now that Hagrid was so close to him, he seemed to have grown somewhat 'slimmer' than what he had previously been. Also, Harry saw a lot of bruises, some recent ones while others looked around 2-3 months old. The recent ones were inflicted by the giants during the attack on 1'st September while the older ones, Harry guessed, would be from Hagrid's 'meetings' with other giants.

"You look different" Hagrid's voice brought Harry back to reality and Harry thought it was quite obvious that Hagrid would have been looking at him closely too.

"Yes. Rectified my vision" Harry said with a smile trying to lighten up the situation. "Sorry I took so long to come here. How are you?"

"I am fine as long as ya people are fine" Hagrid said as he got up to make dinner for himself and Fang. "I 'eard ya had a fight with your friends"

"Kind of" Harry replied. "By the way, how are the prisoners doing?"

"Ya mean the lot You-Know-Who sent? They agreed to come on our side once I told Dumbledore won't leave 'em. Great man Dumbledore"

"That's great" Harry felt quite excited at the prospect of these giants joining them. He knew that each could be sent as an envoy to other giants and possibly could convince them to at least stay neutral unless, of course, they decided to join the light forces. "So, what's on with Dumbledore?" Harry asked in a conversational tone.

"He's got a lot on 'imself" Hagrid gave a shake of his head as he said this. "Now he's protecting Hogwarts with ever…no…I shouldn't have said that" Hagrid almost scolded himself for almost completely messing up another situation. He looked back hard at Harry and said "Shouldn't ya be hurrying up to the castle?"

"Oh yeah…" Harry said as he looked at his watch. "It's getting late and also I have some homework to finish. I don't want to keep everything for the Hogsmeade weekend". With this, Harry got up and put on his father's cloak while Hagrid opened the backdoor for him. Saying a quick 'good bye', Harry proceeded towards the castle, more thoughtful than ever before.

**&&&&**

"Did you ask her?" Tonks jumped up as soon as Harry came in. Harry gave a negative reply but Tonks didn't seem dispirited. "No problem, ask her tomorrow or some other day"

Harry narrowed his eyes at Tonks and looked at her for some long moments. He found Tonks squirming under his stare and just when he thought that the moment was right, he spoke "Ok…spit it out. No…I don't mean literally. Tell me what is going on?"

"Nothing out of ordinary" Tonks replied with a smile but Harry knew it was one of her made-up smiles and not a genuine one.

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to perform legilimency on you?" Harry asked. Tonks turned a shade deeper at the thought of someone performing legilimency on her and she also had doubts that Harry would ever do so. But not daring to test Harry's intentions and also knowing fully well that she would finally have to tell Harry about the thing, she decided to give in.

"Remember you told us that the day after tomorrow is your first Hogsmeade weekend?" Harry just nodded in reply. "Also, I and Remus were going to give you a party?" Again a nod followed from Harry. "We won't be able to be there on Saturday as some Order business has come up" Tonks said meekly. Harry looked at Tonks for sometime and then smiled inwardly at the expression on her face which resembled that of a 10 year old child awaiting punishment from the headmaster (or headmistress).

"Hmmm…" Harry said maintaining a cool composure on the outside and pretended to be thinking about this topic. He was thinking alright, but it was more on the lines of whether he should grab this opportunity to tease her or not. Finally deciding that he sometimes overdid the teasing, he decided to let go of this option this time. "Ok" Harry said finally. "When is it rescheduled?"

"Next Hogsmeade weekend?" Tonks asked brightly seeing that Harry hadn't been too upset.

"Yeah, how about next Hogsmeade weekend?" Remus asked as he came up to the two of them who were sitting on a couch beside the dining room. Apparently he had heard the latter parts of the conversation.

"Ok" Harry said with a smile before asking in a serious voice. "By the way, any update on what's happening?"

"No Harry" Remus said as he sat down opposite to Harry and Tonks. "The Order is trying very hard but locating the missing people is becoming very hard. Two of them have turned up dead but another 15 are still missing"

"15!" Harry exclaimed. "That would make his strength to more than 100. He almost had so many death eaters at Azkaban battle." According to Harry's own information, Voldemort had a much larger strength but he couldn't reveal it to Tonks and Remus without telling them the source of information.

"We know" Tonks said seriously and looking quite like the auror she was. "But we have also been building our forces. We have recruited many auror trainees and hope to get the best sorted out within 2 months. They will get a special training to deal with the basic situations. Also, it is rumored that Fudge is talking to some european wizarding ministries to set up a collaboration of sorts". Harry didn't say anything about this as he had given Fudge this idea in their last meeting about a week back.

"But…" Harry was lost in deep thought. "What is holding him back? With such a large force, he can easily destroy Hogwarts within a day"

"No dear" Tonks corrected Harry. "There are 20 aurors around Hogwarts round the clock. 10 are trainees while the other 10 are the aged aurors. We also have a team of 5 top class aurors on standby for emergency. So, even if You-Know-Who came, we can hold him long enough for help to arrive".

This was news for Harry and he felt much better at hearing this. It was apparent that Dumbledore had taken quite some measures after the attack on Hogwarts and Fudge had co-operated with him. All for the better, Harry thought, but he still had doubts on what Voldemort was up to. From his past experiences, Harry knew that Voldemort could spend loads of time planning something and putting it to execution but somehow they didn't work out due to Harry's interventions. Still, he had claimed 2 important lives and that was something Harry was not prepared to do this time.

"He is up to something" Harry said finally. "Something big"

"How can you be sure?" Remus asked.

"Look Remus, there is no prophecy now. Also, everyone knows that he is back. He has freed his supporters from Azkaban. He has an army of around 100 to 150 and yet…yet…he is not attacking people like he used to. Why?" Harry looked questioningly at Tonks and Remus but both of them seemed to have no answer to his questions. "C'mon…he could at least attack some innocent people and instill some fear in them. Even if he lost 2 death eaters and killed 1 auror, that would make people fearful and they would know that there was no escaping him. People would know that he was coming for them even if it meant that he would be losing his forces. I tell you, he is waiting for the right time. He is waiting for something to happen" Harry said as he remembered the vision which he had had at Privet Drive. He could still remember the words clearly.

_"Sorry Master, I couldn't get inside. They are there but they are too protected." Wormtail had said. "But I tried."_

_"Don't worry Wormtail, I didn't expect you to get inside. But luckily, you have got me enough information."_

**&&&&**

Harry sat in his room as he watched Neville get ready for the first Hogsmeade weekend. Seamus and Ron had already proceeded before Neville who had intentionally waited back on Harry's signal. Harry had then informed Neville of 2 ideas he had thought of about including the Slytherins in the A.D.A. According to his first idea, he asked Neville to talk to Snape at which Neville looked downtrodden. But when Harry exclaimed that Snape could at the maximum reject the idea and do nothing else, Neville thought that it was worth a shot.

Secondly, Harry asked Neville to talk privately to the Slytherins who had approached him and then explain to them that they would be trained in anonymity unless they themselves wanted to make their names known to the other A.D.A. members. Harry also informed Neville that the Room of Requirements would easily provide different rooms for each of the Slytherin students. The downside of this plan was that their identity would be known to the D.A. members but the upside was that ONLY the D.A. members would know about them and they would also learn to protect themselves from others. Harry warned Neville not to try to trick any of the Slytherins because that would lead to a situation where they would never again trust the D.A. and also asked him to target the students ranging from the first to the fourth years.

Neville seemed to like the second idea better and said he would try it before asking Snape to help (_Yuck!_). After thanking Harry profusely for his help Neville proceeded downstairs while Harry watched from his dormitory room as everyone walked happily towards the Hogwarts gates. As Ron and Hermione passed beneath the tower, he noticed Hermione looking up and he quickly moved away from the window. Let's just hope they have a good time without me, Harry thought. Once Harry was sure that all the second year students and above were gone, he wrote down a note and proceeded towards the school owlery. As soon as the note was sent on its way, Harry took a long, winding route towards the library.

"Hi" Harry said to Rowena who was seated at the table where they had talked once previously.

"Hello" Rowena said as she picked up a book to read. Harry did the same and asked "No one suspected that it was my note, right?"

Rowena nodded her head affirmatively and asked "Why did you want to see me?"

"Do you know anything about the A.D.A.?" Harry asked. On getting a negative reply from Rowena, Harry explained the whole concept of the A.D.A. to the little girl. Rowena listened to each and every word carefully and lifted her head twice from the book, but it was more to see whether someone was coming or not.

"So, would you like to join?" Harry asked as he finished his explanation. He could see the enthusiasm on her face but there was also a tinge of fear mixed with it.

"But the others…" Rowena's voice trailed off but not before Harry understood what she meant by 'others'. Harry then went on to explain the concept he had told to Neville and said that preparations can be made to teach her in anonymity. This seemed to brighten up the girl but she still seemed to have a lot of questions on her mind and she cleared her queries one by one. Harry knew that Slytherins never trusted others too much but he was also surprised at how much depth Rowena went into with her questions. It seemed to Harry that she left no stone unturned and finally Harry was relieved to find that she had run out of questions. Harry again queried as to whether she would like to join the A.D.A. or not and was relieved to get an affirmative answer but the icing on the cake came when Rowena asked him whether she could ask a couple of her classmates to come along. Harry replied affirmatively and asked her to talk to Neville or Cho once she had talked to her friends. Finally Rowena thanked Harry for the information and proceeded towards her dormitory and it was then that Harry noticed that they had been talking for over 30 minutes. All for the greater good, Harry told himself with a smile.

As Harry walked towards the great hall, he remembered that he hadn't flown for a long time and now seemed quite a good time for flying.

"Dobby" Harry called out.

"Yes Harry Potter?" a voice came from his left side and Harry assumed that Dobby didn't want to be seen in the Hogwarts corridors.

"Could you bring me my Firebolt please?" No sooner had Harry said this that his broomstick appeared floating in mid-air beside him. Thanking Dobby for his help again, Harry proceeded towards the grounds with his broomstick slung over his shoulder. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs of the school, Harry immediately took off in his broom and started circling the ground.

Harry felt great to be up in the air and it seemed to him as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He proceeded towards the quidditch field and did some stunning moves and dives. He then sped across the great lake and felt thrilled at having such a wonderful broom to fly on. Something inside him asked him to push the Firebolt to its maximum limit and he started a steep climb at a 30 degree angle to the ground. The air got colder as he got higher and higher and soon Hogwarts seemed like a small peck on the ground and the great lake seemed like a big pond. Knowing that he had reached high enough to gather full speed on the Firebolt, he started to make a dive.

Harry just couldn't believe the speed of his broom as he continued in his dive nor did he have any words to describe the exhilaration which he felt. The lake seemed to get bigger and bigger with the passing of every millisecond and Hogwarts also became the imposing castle that it was. Harry flattened himself against his broomstick and continued in his dive, thoroughly enjoying the rush of the air through his hair. Soon he had reached the top speed of the Firebolt as everything around became a blur but he knew he couldn't enjoy it for too long as the lake came nearer and nearer. When he was still 100 meters above the lake, he decided he had to pull out of the dive or he would get soaked wet but pulling out of the dive at that speed seemed much more difficult than he had thought. Seeing no other option left, he stood on the Firebolt and pulled out of the dive with all his strength and he felt the direction changing. Thankfully, he came parallel to the waterline about a meter and a half above it and started to glide along. Having enjoyed his flying thoroughly, he flew at almost top speed across the lake when he saw something coming closer and closer to him. He rolled over on his broomstick just as he was about to hit the object and he saw something slivery blonde go past him.

"Fleur!" Harry exclaimed as he came to an abrupt stop and turned around to see his potions professor. "Are you ok?"

"Yes" Fleur said with one hand on her chest to steady her breathing. She had seen Harry flying before at the tournament but had never guessed that the Firebolt could approach the speed that she saw today. She had tried her best to avoid Harry but had found out that Harry's broom could move like a bolt of lightning. "Minerva azked me to check on you" Fleur said as she calmed down.

"Professor McGonagall? But why?" Harry looked puzzled.

"She zaw you flying like a madman and thought you might get injured" Fleur replied. She had now come beside Harry and they started to slowly glide over the waters.

"I just wanted to enjoy myself a bit and people start getting worried" Harry said in a sarcastic tone. Fleur knew that Harry's life always seemed to be under the scanner and refrained from making any comment but to tell the truth, Harry's dive could have had anyone's heart in their mouths.

"You fly well" Fleur tried to make the mood a bit lighter.

"Thank you" Harry said with a sigh. "So, how are your classes going?"

"Kind of ok" Fleur replied. "But tell me, why didn't you go to ze village today?"

"I was not feeling ok" Harry lied. "Also I was not in the mood to go".

"Anything wrong?" Fleur asked concernedly.

"No" Harry replied. "How is Gabrielle?"

"She's very 'appy" Fleur replied. "She iz planning to give you a grand tour of France 'erself". Harry laughed out at this.

"Oh…" Harry said as he slapped himself on his forehead. "I forgot to ask you something. Tonks would like to talk with you. Can you spare some time for her?"

"Of course" Fleur said as both of them landed near the castle. "What does she want to talk 'bout?"

"Don't know" Harry replied truthfully. "Said it was some girl talk"

"Maybe she wantz to know about Paris and wants to go zere" Fleur wondered aloud.

"Yeah…" Harry said slowly. "She did mention something about Paris but how did you know that?" 

"Girl mentality" Fleur said and burst out laughing along with Harry. "Anyway" Fleur said after she had regained her breath "I will be free tomorrow as it iz Sunday. I can meet 'er at 3:00 in the afternoon"

"Perfect" Harry replied.

**&&&&**

"So, how did you like Hogsmeade?" Harry asked Soha when they met at the library in the evening.

"It's a great place" Soha tried to keep her tone down so that Madam Pince wont notice but Harry could clearly make out the excitement in the voice. "There are so many fun things there"

"Good" Harry replied. "At least you liked something in England after all"

"I like many things about England except for the climate" Soha replied. "In Russia, we had much better climate and it didn't rain as much as it does here"

"Do you mean to say that we have corrupted the weather gods?" Harry asked in mock anger. "Maybe you had corrupted the weather gods there"

"Shut up" Soha replied, matching Harry's mock anger to perfection.

"Ok…ok…" Harry put up his hands. "By the way, has anyone talked to you about the A.D.A.?"

"Yes. Cho did." Soha replied.

"Are you joining?" Harry asked hoping for a positive reply.

"Yes" Soha replied. "I think it will be a good idea. Cho also said that my skills could see me through to the D.A. soon though I don't know what it exactly is"

"Don't worry, you will know about it soon enough" Harry said. "And Cho is right, your level is right for the D.A. but some initial things have to be taken care of". Harry knew that Soha could get into the D.A. initially but he understood that the D.A. members will try to see whether Soha could be trusted or not. Well, that's basically what it was, Harry thought. The D.A. was a group of wizards and witches who could trust each other with their lives and these members had every right to decide who can be trusted or rather, who cannot be trusted.

**&&&&**

"Hey Remus" Harry said as he entered the trunk. "How are you doing?"

"As good as a werewolf can when the next day is the full moon" Remus replied wearily. Harry knew that the conversion to a werewolf drained a lot of energy and its effects could be seen on Remus's health even after 2 days from the full moon. Sometimes he pitied Remus but at other times he thought that it was the way of life. No one on this earth was happy with what they have or the direction in which their life was going but still, the mentally strong people tried to make the most of the happiness which they had.

"I understand" Harry said in a soft voice.

"Thankfully this room can provide the wolfsbane potion" Remus said in a lighter tone. "At least I don't end up killing you and Tonks and Dobby"

"Who mentioned my name?" Tonks said as she entered the room. From the look on her clothes Harry guessed that she had been out of her office all day long, probably on some Order mission as she had said but then again, Tonks could very well get dirty in a clean room.

"Nothing to worry about Tonks" Harry said. "Remus was just suggesting not to take the wolfsbane potion tomorrow and to roam around freely. We were discussing how it can be a good exercise to practice our dueling skills."

"WHAT!" Tonks shouted. "No wolfsbane…roaming…dueling…" Tonks just managed to stammer out these words but soon understood that Harry was pulling her leg again. "Ok…I am ready" Tonks said with her nose high up in the hair.

"That's more like it" Harry replied with a smile. "So, how did your missions go?"

"We are still analyzing the information we collected. We have a meeting in an hour from now" Remus replied with a scowl on his face which was most unlike him and Harry attributed this to the fact that Remus didn't like attending meetings just before the full moon.

"Tonks…" Harry said "Would you like to meet Fleur tomorrow at 3:00 in the afternoon?"

"You talked to her?" Tonks squeaked in delight. "She will talk to me?"

"Only if the time is right for you" Harry said.

"Yeah…it's fine with me" Tonks said with a huge grin.

**&&&&**

"Come in" Fleur said in response to a knock on the door and saw Harry enter while a blue-haired witch stumbled at the doorway behind him.

"Hello Fleur, this here is Nymp…ouch" Harry was cut short by a jab in his ribs.

"Tonks" Tonks said as she extended her hand. "Call me Tonks"

"Fleur Delacour" Fleur said taking Tonks's hand. "Nice to meet you"

"I hope I am not disturbing you" Tonks thought some formality on her part was also due.

"Tonks, I am still here. So, it is not 'I' but 'we'" Harry spoke from behind. Tonks turned around and gave him a glare but Harry pretended as if he had seen nothing.

"Harry, shouldn't you be going along?" Tonks asked sweetly though her glare was still in place.

"I think I will stay here for the moment" Harry replied. "Fleur knows I am weak in potions and I think I will do some extra practice"

"Really?" Tonks asked in a sugar-laced voice even as Fleur was silently watching the exchange. "Why don't you come back after an hour?"

"No, I can't" Harry replied and he started to tick off a list of things he had to do. "I will do potions for an hour now, then I will concentrate on transfiguration, then…". By now, Tonks had started tapping the floor with her left foot and Harry knew it was a sign of impending danger and decided to back out of any fight. "But I think I should do transfiguration first" Harry wondered aloud.

"Yes. I was also going to suggest that" Tonks said sweetly. Fleur kept on smiling all the while this 'discussion' was going on.

"Ok then, see you soon" Harry said with a wave. "Talk to you later Fleur"

"See you 'arry" Fleur said with a smile as Harry left the office. She then invited Tonks to have a seat and started to talk about what Tonks had in mind when, all of a sudden, Harry came back in.

"Sorry to disturb you but have you seen my transfiguration books?" Harry asked Tonks. Tonks knew that Harry just wanted to disturb her but she had had enough and she whipped out her wand.

"Potter" she said menacingly "Get out"

"No offense meant" Harry replied defensively and went out. Within a minute however, he was back and he peeked inside and asked "Tonks, I…". The next moment a curse came hurtling towards Harry who took off at full speed.

**&&&&**

Later on Sunday evening Tonks came back looking very happy. She had talked to Fleur for quite a long time and both seemed to have hit off quite well. She kept on saying what a lovely person Fleur was until Remus stepped in and reminded her that it was the 13'th time she had repeated the sentence. Soon Remus retired to his room as the moon would come up and Tonks and Harry were left alone.

Harry tried again and again to find out what had been the topic of discussion between Tonks and Fleur but failed miserably each time. It seemed that Tonks was having the time of her life as her smile grew wider and wider with each of Harry's failed attempts. Finally Harry gave up when Tonks told him that he sounded just like a curious gossiping girl like herself. Harry then proceeded towards the dueling area and practiced for over an hour before returning to his room for the night.

Harry had kept a very important topic for meditation today and it was the events leading to the death of Sirius. He kept meditating for well over an hour and a half and continued to replay each and every event at the DoM thoroughly through his mind but finally a peaceful expression replaced the uneasiness on his face. He fully understood that Sirius was not dead because of him but because of Voldemort but still he felt a pang of guilt at having been a pawn in the hands of Voldemort. Somewhere deep down, he still had hard feelings towards Dumbledore for not telling him about the prophecy beforehand but he knew that what was done was done. He knew that Sirius or his parents wouldn't want him to waste his life by thinking about the past but rather, they would want him to prepare for the future.

Harry went to sleep with thoughts of what was going to come in the future and what he still had to do. There was a sense of relief inside him today and he dreamt about celebrating Christmas with his family. He was near the Christmas tree in his mother's arms while his father continued to decorate the tree when, suddenly, the image started dissolving. The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of a hooded figure that was kneeling in front of him.

"How much longer will I have to wait?" Harry heard a ruthless voice speak but found to his horror that his own lips were moving.

"Not much longer My Lord" the hooded figure replied and Harry had a feeling that the figure was shaking slightly. Somehow inexplicably, Harry liked the feeling that someone was shaking in fear of him.

"That's good" said the voice again and Harry felt his lips curl up in a smile.

With a jerk, Harry woke up in his bed, sweating profusely. He had had another vision of Voldemort and still Voldemort had been unable to detect him. Maybe it was a trick which Voldemort was playing with him or maybe it was not. In either case, Harry was now sure of one thing which he had told to Tonks and Remus.

Yes, Voldemort was waiting for something.

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 14'th chapter. Well, I passed 100 reviews with my last chapter and really, it feels great. I would really like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed my story and also, I would like to say a special thanks to all those who have been with me from the start of this fic. Thanks :)

**About the trio **– They will get back but in some unusual circumstances.

**icaro** – Sorry but I cant really answer your questions now. As for clues – follow this story.

**linky2** – Harry has been keeping up his training. That's why he is sleeping in his trunk daily.

**DewNymph** – I had the same idea about making the letter an English translation of French but I rejected it later on. This would lead to problems when Harry gets to France and all of a sudden, I have to make everyone talk in French!! So, in this fic Fleur and her family will speak english most of the time.

**TuxedoMac** – I don't think the new business will pull away anything too much from the story. Rather it will add something in the coming chapters.

**To all those people whose names I don't mention here** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	15. Disclosures

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 15 – Disclosures**

With a jerk, Harry woke up in his bed, sweating profusely. He had had another vision of Voldemort and still Voldemort had been unable to detect him. Maybe it was a trick which Voldemort was playing with him or maybe it was not. In either case, Harry was now sure of one thing which he had told to Tonks and Remus.

Yes, Voldemort was waiting for something.

**&&&&**

_Oct 1._

"_I don't know what he is planning this time around but I know that he is desperate now. He now has nothing to fear, unless you count out Dumbledore, and his forces are growing stronger day by day. I have to somehow know what it is that I can do which he knows not, what makes me what I am supposed to be, but the thing is that I don't know where to start. I mean, I am training and studying all the required stuff but I can bet 100,000 galleons that Voldemort knows more than me. What am I talking about – of course he has more knowledge than me and Dumbledore had himself said that he had been the brightest student Hogwarts had ever produced._

_What do I have which he doesn't? Dumbledore had said to Voldemort that there are things worse than death. What could be worse than death for Voldemort? Maybe turning into a muggle would be worse…no…Voldemort would still create a spell and ask one of his servants to do the wand work for him and then he would regain his magical strength. What else can I say for a man…urgg…thing which regained its body? That wasn't thought to be possible (maybe Dumbledore thought about it) but he still did it, didn't he? Maybe getting his soul sucked by a dementor would be worse than death for him but who knows, does he have a soul at all? And if he does have one then how can a dementor be forced to suck his soul?_

_One thing I have got to admit is that I respect Voldemort as an opponent. He may be evil, he may be the worst person on the face of this earth and he might represent everything slimy but still, he is a formidable foe. He has worked hard to become what he is and if he had not been drawn towards power so much and had remained on the light side, he would have been as great a sorcerer as Dumbledore himself if not more. I have to treat him with the respect which a formidable foe deserves and I must hope that he still thinks of me as a tiny thing which can be crushed at any moment. Only then will I be able to spring a surprise for him which he wouldn't be able to counter._

_Hold it, is that the power I have which he doesn't – to spring a surprise or to respect an opponent? Damn, I must be losing my mind now. I have to get this sorted out as soon as possible if I want to have any chance of beating him. I must talk to Dumbledore about it._

Harry yawned as he closed his journal and put his quill away. He didn't like getting up in the middle of the night to write down something but he had decided way back that he would maintain a record of every thing which was happening and which he felt was worthwhile of maintaining a record of. Almost everyday he wrote down something or the other about Ron and Hermione as he felt that writing them down would take away his guilt but that had not happened. And in the midst of all these writings came descriptions of his visions of Voldemort. He knew he had to do something soon to find out more about the meaning of the last part of the prophecy and he had decided that he would talk to Dumbledore as soon as possible, even though he had an idea of what kind of reply to expect. Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, Harry thought as he fell asleep for the second time that night.

**&&&&**

"Hello sir"

"Good Morning Harry" Dumbledore greeted his favorite school student with a smile. "I didn't expect you to see here so early in the morning. I hope you are not having any bad dreams, are you?"

"No sir. Actually…" here Harry hesitated a bit. He wanted to make this as brief as possible but yet he had to retrieve the required information and doing this with a person like Dumbledore was the hardest part of it all. "I…I have been thinking on some things lately"

Dumbledore immediately became serious but the twinkle in his eye was still firmly in its place. "Can you talk about it after you have taken a seat Harry?"

Taking the seat opposite to Dumbledore, Harry started to speak again. "Sir, we talked about the prophecy here and…hmmm…I made that a memorable occasion". Dumbledore smiled at this as Harry continue. "I wanted to talk about the last part of the prophecy. What did it mean?"

"The last part…yes…" Dumbledore paused as he surveyed Harry from behind his glasses. "What do you think it means?"

Harry didn't look surprised at all at this question. This was just like Dumbledore – put the ball in another's court and wait for the return volley. But today Harry wanted some answers and he was ready to answer questions to reach to his goal.

"Sir, I don't think it has any relation with magic in general. I mean, Voldemort is much more stronger than I might ever dream of becoming and yet I have been able to escape him for so long" Harry was looking at the table in front of him and seemed to be almost oblivious to Dumbledore's presence. "He can kill but I cannot. He can torture while I…" at this Harry shivered slightly. "He is older than me and hence more knowledgeable, while I don't have knowledge of ancient spells or…you understand what I mean, don't you?"

"No" Dumbledore was smiling for some unknown reason. "Harry, I really can't understand why you are underestimating yourself"

"Because what I am stating is the truth" Harry replied sarcastically. "I can come up to Voldemort's level if I am given a time period of 20 years but I don't think Voldemort would like to wait"

"Hmmm…" Dumbledore seemed to be thinking but a smile seemed to be playing on his lips. "Can you tell me what Voldemort's strengths are?"

"His strength is his hatred" Harry replied after a moment of thought. "His hatred can make him do anything he has to in order to reach his goal"

"Anything?" Dumbledore questioned again. Harry had grasped the fact that Dumbledore wanted to him to get his answers through his own reasoning and he had decided to cooperate fully.

"Yes…" Harry replied confidently. "He would…but…" Harry's voice trailed off at this point as he seemed to be pondering over something. After a few quite moments in which Dumbledore kept studying the features of his pupil, Harry started talking in a low tone "He will do 'anything' and…that could lead him to make mistakes"

"Mistakes?" Dumbledore, who had heard everything clearly, asked. In the meantime, Fawkes had flown in and had perched himself on Harry's shoulder and Harry, almost automatically, started to run his hands through Fawkes's feathers.

"Yes" Harry continued in the same low and thoughtful tone. "But even if he makes any mistakes then also he will be able to recover quickly enough. He will always be able to do something to retaliate"

"That's true" Dumbledore conceded. "Now, what are your strengths?"

"I…what?" Harry seemed a little taken aback at this change of direction and even though he still had his thoughts on Voldemort, he decided to follow Dumbledore's chain of conversation. After all, he had loads of time in the trunk and he could always meditate and think on different topics when he was back there.

"My strengths…I am good in dueling and I am good at escaping. I am a good flyer but I seriously doubt whether Voldemort would duel with me in mid-air" Dumbledore chuckled at this comment from Harry who himself smiled as he tried to visualize the scene. "Apart from this…" Harry seemed lost in thoughts again.

"You are more like Lily than James" Harry's head snapped up as he heard this, but wisely decided not to interrupt Dumbledore. "She always criticized herself not because she was not good at things but because she wanted to be better at them than anybody else. She had an urge and thirst to prove herself in front of the world but was never quite satisfied with her performances". Dumbledore didn't notice the look of expectation on Harry's face as he was now looking out of the window of his office. "You are so much like her and yet…"

"Yet what sir?" Harry was almost in a half-standing position now. Rarely had anyone ever talked about his mother and it was even rarer for Dumbledore to be talking at length about his family; but since he had now started to talk, Harry was going to make sure he told him as much as possible.

Dumbledore had turned to face him by now and Harry thought that his eyes had a look of sadness in them. He guessed that his mother must have been a much loved student of Dumbledore and that's why he looked so sad.

"Your mother loved people" Dumbledore spoke after he had been gazing in Harry's expectant eyes for over a minute. "She loved those who loved her and even those who hated her. She never had a grudge against anyone" Dumbledore smiled a sad smile as he continued to relive the happy moments of a young life which had met a tragic end. "She sacrificed herself for you and her love protected you from Lord Voldemort. You have her love and other qualities"

"You mean that I have her love and that is the thing which Voldemort doesn't have?" Harry questioned when he realized that Dumbledore had stopped saying anything more. "Voldemort can hate but I can love? You mean that I can destroy him by loving him?" The last of Harry's words were said in a sarcastic tone as he felt angry at Dumbledore not saying anything more about his mother.

"No Harry" Dumbledore continued as if he had not noticed the sarcasm in Harry's words. "Love can never destroy anything; otherwise your mother would have been able to kill Lord Voldemort herself. Love is something you have which can give rise to other emotions and emotions help in driving magic"

"So you are saying that my 'love' will help me perform greater magic?" Harry queried.

"All I can say Harry…" Dumbledore paused for a moment and peered deeply into Harry's eyes before continuing "…that your emotions will help you make a choice – a choice which will decide the outcome of the 2'nd war"

**&&&&**

"_Damn it_" Harry was thinking as he walked towards the charms classroom. "_Every time I go to Dumbledore with questions, he somehow manages to confuse me up and make me think about new things. Now I have to make a choice. I already have a choice – to kill or be killed. Now I have one more choice_"

"Ouch" came a female voice mingled with Harry's own voice. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had failed to notice a person standing just around the corner and had walked straight into her.

"Sorry Cho" Harry said as he recognized the girl into whom he had 'crashed'.

"No problem" Cho replied as she straightened out her robes. With her eyes still focused on her robes and trying to straighten out some unseen creases, Cho asked "How are you?"

"Ok, I guess" Harry replied with a shrug. Nowadays it didn't matter to him anymore that this was the same Cho whose mere sight had him tongue-tied till a few months ago. "So, where are you heading to?" Harry asked as Cho fell in step with him.

"Towards my potions class" Cho replied but did not dare to look at Harry.

"You had been waiting for someone?" Harry asked casually.

"Yes…" Cho replied. "I was waiting for you"

"Me?" Harry's must have sounded very surprised because Cho instantly turned to face him.

"Actually it was about the D.A. and the A.D.A." Cho said hastily as she didn't want Harry to think that she had anything else on her mind.

"I see" Harry said, feeling slightly relieved. "What did you want to discuss?"

"Can we talk someplace else?" Cho asked, making her intentions clear that talking about these things in public was not what she liked to do. Harry too realized that it had been stupid of him to ask Cho to talk right now.

"Ok. When and where?" Harry asked.

"The old place at 7:00 pm?" Cho asked, awaiting Harry's reply. Harry gave an affirmative nod and both of them wished each other a homework-free day (which they knew was impossible) as they parted ways and proceeded towards their respective classrooms.

**&&&&**

"How was your day?" Cho asked when Harry entered the room of requirements.

"How did your 6'th year go?" Harry retorted sarcastically.

"Got your point" Cho replied with a smile. "They just give loads of homework without even thinking what will happen to our hands."

"Right you are" Harry said as he slumped into a couch opposite to Cho. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, we are making some progress now but the Slytherins are a different lot" Cho said. "They always think we are out to deceive them"

"That's why they are Slytherins" Harry said in an off-handed manner. "You guys have to earn their trust and not just ask for it"

"I understand" Cho replied. "I wanted to ask you something about 2 people. Actually…" Cho hesitated for a while.

"Actually…" Harry prompted her.

"What do you think about Rowena?" Cho asked. "She seems a bit…bit odd to me."

"Odd?" Harry was surprised to hear this kind of description from Cho. "You mean she is very inquisitive or suspicious? I think it's her nature"

"She is inquisitive but she seems different" Cho said in a very serious tone. "She asked why you are not here and when we told that you were taking a break…" Cho paused to see Harry's response who just nodded "…she became very suspicious and thought that it was a plan to trap her or something. Only after I talked to her for well over an hour did she finally agree to continue, but she still behaves a bit weirdly"

"Weirdly? I don't remember her behaving weirdly with me when I had told her about the A.D.A" Harry said as he tried to remember their discussion. He had not had much glimpse of her face at that time but he was sure that she had been perfectly normal. A bit scared maybe but otherwise fine.

"I don't know…" Cho seemed lost in her thoughts too and Harry guessed she must be thinking about her encounter(s) with Rowena. "She seems a bit different"

"Maybe it is just her nature" Harry suggested.

"Maybe…" Cho agreed. "The next time you talk to her, please ask her whether she is having any problems here or not. It seems she trusts you very much"

"Ok" Harry said in reply. "I will do that. Now, who is the second person you wanted to talk about?" Though Harry had an idea who that could be, he still wanted Cho to say it for herself.

"Actually it's about Soha" Cho replied. "What do you think about her?"

"In what way?" Harry asked and feigned surprise, which caused Cho to blush slightly.

"I mean…actually…is she correct for the D.A.?" The words finally came pouring out of Cho's mouth.

"Cho, who is running the D.A now?" Harry asked in an almost stern voice. The last thing he wanted to do was remote-control the D.A.

"I was asking for a suggestion" Cho replied meekly before adding "And you know her better than most of us here"

"I don't know whether I know her better or not but I will not say anything about either her inclusion or non-inclusion into the D.A. It's your duty now" Harry replied.

"I guess so" Cho replied but her voice didn't sound too confident. Both Cho and Neville were having problems regulating the whole D.A. and with the A.D.A. coming into action, it had become even more difficult. Add to all this the upcoming N.E.W.T's, and Cho had her hands full. "I guess I will have to talk to Neville about this"

"Yeah" Harry agreed. "That's the best idea you have come up with today". Both Harry and Cho sat there for a few silent moments as no one had anything else to say.

"Well, that concludes it, doesn't it?" Cho finally said this a bit awkwardly.

"Yeah" Harry's reply was just as awkward. "I guess we get back to our rooms and finish our homework or we will have fuming professors to deal with tomorrow"

"Right" Cho replied. Both of them said good bye's to each other as they parted their ways.

**&&&&**

The school days seemed to pass by at a very slow pace for Harry. Each day seemed to be filled with homework and more homework added to the fact that Harry already had knowledge of many charms and hexes which were being taught to the sixth year students. So, in a way it was quite boring for him in many classes. The class in which he was making the most progress was that of transfiguration and potions.

Fleur had fixed some extra classes for Harry after she had received a request from him. She taught him the basics behind many of the potions which Snape had taught to Harry over the past 5 years. It was not as if that Snape had deliberately avoided teaching a particular portion but it was that Harry had neglected potions because of Snape's teaching style. Yes, even with Snape around he had been able to brew potions but knowing which potion should be used where and when was much different than just learning them by heart.

Fleur's teaching style was such that she let Harry make mistakes and then she would point out the mistakes to him. She would then give him an example from a real life situation where a particular potion would make a lot of difference and this helped Harry a lot in remembering the potion. Harry would then go about making the potion again and more often than not, he would succeed at the second attempt.

Also Fleur, being a new teacher, sometimes made mistakes but she was humble enough to accept them. In fact most of the students liked her for the fact that she accepted her mistakes and they never made fun of her, except for the Slytherins. Rather, the whole school respected Fleur for her qualities and Harry somehow thought that one day Fleur would become one of the most respected teachers of Hogwarts.

Recently Harry also had tasted quite a lot of success with his conjuring up of items. He had been able to conjure up a spherical object which was greeted with a lot of appreciation from McGonagall because spheres were one of the hardest objects to conjure. Harry continued to have a daily session of 30 to 45 minutes with McGonagall and slowly but surely he was coming to terms with the conjuring part.

McGonagall had even accepted his request of continuing their private lessons and help out Harry with animating the conjured items but she told him that it would be another month before he could finally start on the animation part. Harry was quite satisfied with the proceedings as he knew that moving step-by-step was the right thing to do.

As the days passed, the boredom finally gave way to some excitement but Harry didn't like it a bit. It started the day he had a disastrous DADA class.

"Potter" the voice of Snape bellowed across the DADA classroom and Harry knew it was his summon to proceed to the dueling area.

"Weasley" Snape called out next, and Harry cursed Snape inwardly. Everyone in the school now knew that there had been a rift between Harry and his friends and now, Harry thought, this slimy git wanted to use a duel to cause further tension between them. Harry saw that Ron looked quite determined in his approach towards the dueling arena and had a tight grip on his wand. He also noticed the look of apprehension on the face of Hermione and realized that Ron must be quite upset.

"Well…" Harry told himself "…this can't be avoided. I better get hit by a couple of Ron's spells so that he would not feel too bad if I win". As both the students took their respective positions and stances, Snape finally signaled the start of the duel.

**&&&&**

"What happened?" Remus asked as he saw a grumpy looking Harry enter the 5'th compartment.

"Bad day at school" Harry replied.

"No problem if you don't want to tell" Remus replied without taking his eyes off Harry. Harry, knowing that there was no way he could avoid it, spoke up.

"Snape put me against Ron…" Harry said "…and it didn't go too well for any of us". Looking at the stare which Remus was still giving him, Harry thought it better to spill the beans. "Ron used some really bad spells…pain causing spells…and I barely managed to avoid getting hit by them. Snape did nothing to stop him and I knew that I could get really hurt if I didn't finish it quickly enough"

"And then?" Remus asked, assuming that Harry had finished the duel on his own terms.

"I defeated Ron but it didn't go too well after that" Harry gave a big sigh. "He went after me with his bare hands in the classroom even after Snape had declared the duel as over"

"I see" Remus said.

"And that git did nothing to stop him" Harry said in an angry voice. "I had to stun Ron again and Snape took points off me for stunning a student in class without permission. I mean…it wasn't my fault and…oh well" Harry threw up his hands in desperation.

"Then everything is going according to your plan, isn't it?" Remus asked in the same tone. Harry looked at him for a moment and then shifted his gaze towards the floor. He knew that everything was going according to his plan but the side-effects of his plan were becoming a bit hard to handle.

"Hello guys" came the cheery voice of Tonks as she entered the room at that moment. Both Harry and Remus looked at her and saw what was a daily routine nowadays – Tonks stumbling on the new cloak stand which was placed adjacent to the couch.

"Damn" Tonks said as she got up rubbing her back and both Harry and Remus were smiling by now. Some things in life never change even if you plan to do so.

**&&&&**

"What are you doing Harry?" Tonks asked grumpily as she came out for her regular midnight snack.

"Just reading a book" Harry replied without taking his eyes off the book.

"What book?" Tonks asked as she sat down into a chair opposite to Harry while Dobby was getting her snack ready.

"A book on prophecies"

"Really! Where did you get one?" Tonks asked, excited at the prospect of learning about how many prophecies have come true till date.

"It was in the Potter Family Vault" Harry replied. "There are some nice facts here"

"Like what?" Tonks queried.

"It seems that people have to do weird things to make prophecies come true. One person had to burn down his house for a prophecy which stated that only he would be able to avoid a famine in his area" Harry stated. "Also, he had taken over 3 years to understand what he really had to do"

"So does that mean you would be taking that long too?" Tonks asked as she started eating whatever Dobby had provided.

"Actually it depends on my understanding of the prophecy" Harry said. "Sometimes it takes a person minutes to understand it while it may take others years to get hold of the point"

"Hmmm…" Tonks replied in understanding.

"But there is one common thing in all of them" Harry said thoughtfully. "Something which Dumbledore told me a few days ago"

"What was it?" Tonks queried.

"It's all about the choices one makes" Harry replied. "I have to make the right choices at the right time to reach my goal"

"I see" Tonks replied. "Do you think you are doing that?"

"I don't know" Harry replied truthfully. "In hindsight, everything seems as if it could have been done in a better way possible but, at that moment, it seemed the right thing to do"

"Yeah" Tonks said. "But you better watch out your every step"

"I think that applies more to you than me" Harry said with a laugh while Tonks poked out her tongue at him.

**&&&&**

October 10'th, which was a Sunday, finally arrived. Harry had woken up on schedule at 5:30 am and knew that he had a good one and a half hour before either Remus or Tonks woke up. Harry did his daily meditation and practiced legilimency on a mentally weaker double for over an hour. Finally, when he thought that he had had enough practice for the day, he took a shower and took on the responsibility of awaking the others.

"WAKE UP"

"Who is that?" Tonks asked angrily as she stirred in her bed. Looking up groggily, she saw a grinning Harry standing beside her bed. "Don't you know that you shouldn't enter a girl's room without knocking?"

"I knocked but you didn't answer"

"Liar" Tonks said as she took her pillow and covered her head. "Now go away"

"Nope"

"Goway" Tonks said in an incomprehensible manner but Harry understood her perfectly.

"Tonks, get up now" Harry said.

"Why? I don't have office today nor I have homework like you" Tonks replied defiantly. "Why do you wish to disturb the beauty sleep of a nice little girl like me?"

"Nice? Little?" Harry questioned in amazement and immediately a pillow crashed into his face. Regaining his balance and composure, Harry said "Now that you are awake, let me remind you that today we are opening 'Sknoher Security Services' formally"

"Oh yes. I forgot completely" Tonks said sitting up bolt upright. "So today is the day we start making money" She said with a grin before saying "Oops…I meant helping people"

Harry rolled his eyes at this and went over to Remus's room to get him up. Soon, all three of them were dressed and seated at the breakfast table, sharing a lovely piece of Dobby's cooking.

"So, did you take Dumbledore's permission to leave Hogwarts?" Remus asked.

"Yeah" Harry replied. "I also told him the purpose of my visit to Diagon Alley and he was happy to hear that two Order members will be with me"

"That's good" Remus said. "So Harry, how do you plan to run this thing?"

"Why are you asking me? It's your stuff" Harry replied.

"You dumped it on us" Tonks chipped in. Harry said nothing and continued eating.

"Seriously…" Remus said "…you must have had something on your mind. I mean, you can't expect me and Tonks to sit at the shop counter or visit people's houses to fix security stuff"

"Unless we are making millions out of this" Tonks commented, which drew a glare from Remus. Immediately her focus shifted back onto her food.

"It's quite simple, isn't it?" Harry said. "All you have to do is appoint some employees and they will do the work"

"And who, mighty Potter, is going to pay the employees?" Tonks asked.

"I will. And once you guys start making profits, you could pay me back whatever you owe me. Ok with you guys?" Harry asked to which both Remus and Tonks nodded.

"But Harry, have you decided on the employees?" Remus asked. "I mean, we will be needing trustworthy employees for this stuff"

"Don't you people know any trustworthy people?" Harry queried.

"Let me see, how many trustworthy people are friends with werewolves?" Remus wondered aloud.

"I know many trustworthy guys but they will be more interested in me than the work" Tonks said in an off-handed manner.

"Come off it Harry" Remus said. "We know you already have something up your sleeves"

"Well…" Harry began "…I have talked to 2 people about this and both of them agreed"

"Who are they?" Remus asked.

"One is Norman Woods and…" Harry was interrupted here by Remus.

"Norman? How did you know Norman?" Remus looked astonished at Harry's choice.

"He is Oliver Wood's dad. I was with Wood on the quidditch team and I had approached him to work in this shop, but he said he was too busy trying to make a career in quidditch" Harry explained. "His dad, however, had lost his job recently because of some argument and he seemed eager enough to work. So I asked him to help us out. How do you know him?"

"He was 2 years our senior" Remus explained. All of them had finished their breakfast by now and were just chatting away. "He was a very good Chaser himself. Good man, Norman"

"Nice to hear that" Harry said with a smile. He had been a bit worried before but after getting Remus's approval, he seemed to be satisfied with his selection. "And the other one is a girl named Sarah Miller"

"A girl? How old? Good looking or not? Do you like her? Does she like you?" Tonks started on her babble.

"Tonks!" Remus gave another hard stare at Tonks who made a face and said 'spoilsport'.

"Actually I got my knives and wizard radar from her shop. Yes, her father has a shop on Diagon Alley. She had finished her studies from another school but recently they have fallen on some hard times and she was always working at her fathers shop" Harry said. "So I offered her this job and both she and her father were happy"

"I see" Remus said thoughtfully. "Do you think she is ok?"

"Of course" Tonks said. "She's Harry's choice so she HAS to be ok". Harry blushed deeply at this but didn't say anything while Remus had given up on his intentions of censoring Tonks.

"She has good knowledge of Defense artifacts…" Harry said.

"Just like Harry" Tonks interjected but Harry ignored her.

"And she knows how to handle a shop. My idea is that she can be at the shop while Mr. Wood can look at the installation of the security systems"

"And when Mr. Wood is out, Harry can visit the shop and check if everything is going fine or not" Tonks said dreamily. "Maybe he can even fine-tune some _items_"

"I think we should be going now" Harry said hastily as he noticed that Tonks comments were going from bad to worse, at least according to his own taste.

"Yeah…she must be waiting for you" Tonks said as she saw Harry change his appearance. The Harry in front of them now had shoulder-length straightened hair, his cheek bones seemed to be more protruded than normal and his eye color was grayish. Tonks gave him a wink before all three of them left with the help of portkeys and arrived in the Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes shop.

"Hiya Harry" Fred said. "We have been waiting for you"

"Yeah man" George added. "Time is money and we have wasted a lot of money already"

"Ok, let's go to the shop now" Harry said in a business like manner which impressed Remus very much but what Remus didn't know was that this was the only way to get the twins to stop.

"Hey…" Tonks whispered into Harry's ears "How did they recognize you?"

"I had told them that I will be under the Polyjuice potion and I had described my looks to them" Harry informed her. "And also that I will be accompanied by the best known werewolf and metamorphmagus here"

"Ha Ha" Tonks gave a mock laugh. "Very funny" she said as they almost reached Gringotts.

"Well, you can't even take a compliment correctly" Harry said as they came to a stop in front of a signboard saying 'Sknoher Security Services'. The signboard was encircled by loads of locks of different sizes floating in mid-air which kept opening and closing all on their own. All the locks kept moving around the signboard forming new shapes as a whole, but the most frequent shape was the one of a hand whose index finger kept beckoning people to come towards it. Another of the twin's ideas, Harry thought with a smile.

"Welcome to 100, Diagon Alley, the home of 'Sknoher Security Services'" Fred said in a dramatic fashion as quite a few onlookers had stopped to see the signboard and the different shapes forming around it. "Sirs and Madams please enter and this shop will be officially open" George added.

Harry, Remus and Tonks did as they were told and immediately a shower of gold and silver spaghetti started shooting from all sides of the shop. Also, the sign on the door changed from 'Opening Shortly' to 'Open'.

"Hi Harry" chorused two people from behind the counter and Tonks guessed that they too had been told that Harry would be under the Polyjuice potion.

"Hello Remus" Norman greeted Remus with a hug and Remus reciprocated similarly. Tonks, on the other hand, had rushed to Sarah and was talking to her in a hushed tone and giggling every now and then. Harry looked daggers at Tonks who rolled her eyes when she saw his stare and turned away, giggling even more madly now.

All three of them stayed in the shop for over an hour inspecting the different items the twins had thought of and their prototypes. Remus saw some items which he had seen back at the trunk and he assumed that Harry had also contributed to the items on sale. Overall, the shop had almost a prototype of everything a house needed, from curtains to fireplaces to doors, but each prototype had a certain magic on them which prevented the entry of any unwanted person. In some ways, Harry thought, it was similar to the doors in his trunk but inferior in quality.

Remus was fascinated with the variety of items and kept enquiring about each of them. Fred and George explained everything to him. Finally, after seeing off their first customer, the three of them made their way back to the trunk.

"Whoa, you certainly have choice" Tonks said when all of them were back in the trunk.

"Yeah" Remus agreed. "We never thought it would turn out so good"

Harry was about to say something when Tonks asked Remus seriously "So you liked the girl too? I think she is a bit too young for you"

"Tonks…" Remus said with a false smile and in a sing-song tone "…in a few days it will be the full moon again"

Tonks gulped visibly and said again "I meant, you liked the shop too?"

"Yes" Remus said with a genuine grin this time while Tonks had a nervous smile on her face.

"Ok…enough joking now" Harry said to both of them as he changed back to his normal appearance. "We need to talk about some things now"

"I am tired" Tonks said as she stretched her body.

"Ok then…" Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders "…just don't complain later on about what I am about to tell Remus". Tonks gave a mock glare at Harry before following him and Remus to the couch.

"Please take these…" Harry said as he held out his hand which had 2 earrings in it. "…and put them on.

"Yeah" Tonks shouted in amusement. "Remus in earrings, yippee!"

"What are these Harry?" Remus asked seriously because he knew Harry wasn't joking at all.

"Just put them on" Harry said. "Don't worry, you don't need to have your ears pierced for these. These ones just stick to your earlobes unless you press this spot on the earrings" With this, Harry pointed out a spot which was on the backside of the earring.

Both Tonks and Remus took one earring each and put them on. Within seconds, both of them had taken them off and were staring at Harry in amazement and anticipation. Tonks looked very serious when she asked Harry in a heavy tone "Where are the sounds coming from?"

"Let me explain it to you" With that, Harry started to explain to them about how he had obtained some spying devices in Knockturn Alley, leaving out the name of Malfoy from it. He also told them that he had managed to attach a spying device to the cloak of a death-eater and that was how he had got the information about the attack on Azkaban. Finally, he explained how the twins were giving away gifts to people which had spying devices in them.

"Ok" Tonks said to him when Harry paused. "So you must be having one of these earrings and you are trying to pick up activities of death-eaters"

"And…" Remus said thoughtfully "…the main work of the twins in this new business is attaching spying devices to the security equipments, right?"

"Yes" Harry replied. "Both of you are right"

"Do you have any idea where this could land you?" Tonks asked and Harry thought she was getting angry at him.

"I know that this is illegal but this is one of the best methods to gather information" Harry replied. "Look, I am not on a lonesome hero trail, wanting to destroy a dark lord and his army on my own. Why do you think I am giving you these earrings? It is because I need your help and if you think that we won't be able to handle a situation then you…" Harry pointed at Tonks "…can call in the ministry aurors while Remus can bring in the Order members"

Tonks looked a bit pacified at this but Remus still had a worried look on his face.

"You shouldn't be doing all this stuff alone" Remus said.

"I know" Harry replied. "That's why I am bringing you two in. Look, I had been searching for methods of gaining information and this was the best thing which came up. I can depend on you two with my life and the moment _we_ feel the need of somebody else owning an earring, we can check out the next most reliable person around us"

"You know Harry, you could be in Azkaban if this comes out" Tonks said. "In fact, all of us could be there"

"Don't worry about that" Harry said. "I know that I am the only hope of the wizarding world in defeating Voldemort and Dumbledore won't let anything happen to me. He made a mistake with Sirius but he will not make a mistake with me and as long as I am around, you guys won't be in Azkaban"

"We are not worried about us being in Azkaban…" Remus said "…but rather you being there. But yes, I agree with you that Dumbledore won't let anything happen to you"

"So, are you guys with me?" Harry asked a bit hesitantly. "The only condition is that you can't tell anyone about the earrings"

"Do we have a choice?" Tonks asked. She didn't like the idea of capturing death-eaters all by themselves but she couldn't leave Harry alone. "Also, now I understand why you were gifting us a business where we would have no work to do. In fact, you have burdened us with a workload beyond your own imagination". Harry just nodded in reply.

"We are with you as long as you don't risk yourself unnecessarily" Remus told Harry.

"Isn't that ridiculous, Remus? I have already told you about the prophecy, remember?" Harry said with a sad smile. Remus said nothing but nodded in reply. Both Remus and Tonks put on one earring each and Harry did the required wand work to turn the rings invisible.

"Now I have one more thing to tell you" Harry said, not meeting anyone's eye. "Are you ready for it; because it will be something you could never have imagined?" Remus and Tonks exchanged a nervous glance before both of them gave an affirmative nod. Harry took a deep breath and started.

"You both have the earrings now so it is only a matter of time before you found it out by yourselves. I just told you that I had put a spying device on a death-eater"

"Who is it?" Tonks asked sharply while Remus clenched his fists tightly. Both of them now knew that they were going to hear the name of a death-eater who was known very well by them.

Harry looked at the flooring and gave a deep sigh. "Percy Weasley"

"WHAT!" Remus stood up immediately while Tonks had her mouth covered with her hands. "The son of Arthur Weasley – a death-eater?" Harry gave a somber nod in reply which caused Remus to slump back into his seat. "Oh my god" was all that came out of his mouth.

"How long have you known about this?" Tonks was the first person to regain composure.

"Before the Azkaban battle" Harry replied.

"And you never bothered to tell us?" Remus said this in spite of the shock he was still in.

"Actually I didn't know what to do. In fact, I even let Percy go away scot-free without doing anything to him" Harry said in resignation. "I didn't know whether I should tell anyone or not. I mean, what will the Weasley's think? What will be Mrs. Weasley's reaction? These are the things which have held me back till now"

"Are you sure it was Percy?" Tonks asked.

"Yes. I saw the mark myself" Harry told her and Tonks's head dropped again at this.

"Look…" Harry spoke again after a few moments of pin-drop silence. "I really don't know how to handle the Percy situation. Though I don't like the idea of lying to the Weasleys, I think that even if Percy turned up dead with his marked arm severed…" both Tonks and Remus were looking at him in disbelief but Harry didn't stop "…rather than as a death-eater, then it will be all for the better. Don't take it too seriously but in my opinion, Mrs. Weasley would never be able to bear the shock" Harry said in a sad whisper. "Never"

"Everyone has to go through difficult periods in life Harry" Remus said gravely. "That doesn't mean that you can avoid the truth. Look at what Peter did. Would you be able to bear it if Percy did something like that to his own family?"

"NO" Harry shouted. "He wouldn't…"

"He could" Tonks said. "We need to take care of this situation as soon as possible. Maybe we won't tell the Weasleys the truth now but it will come out eventually"

"I agree" Remus said while Harry also nodded his head. He knew that this subject couldn't be avoided any longer.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, in which everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Remus spoke again "I will go and talk to Dumbledore now and maybe we will have an Order meeting tomorrow to sort out the issue"

Tonks and Harry said nothing about this as Remus got up and left the room using the portkey. Silence reigned in the room after that.

**&&&&**

"Hi Harry"

"Hello Mark" Harry replied monotonously as he continued with his lunch. It was Monday and he knew that there would be an Order meeting today to discuss the situation of Percy. Most of the senior members would be present in the meeting along with Arthur Weasley. All this had been playing on his mind throughout the day and his mood was worse off for it.

"You know what…" Mark said excitedly. "…one guy today stumbled on a room on the third floor which has a cage door in it. I wonder what is there"

"Must be something interesti…" Harry trailed off at this and his forehead became creased with worry. Mark, who didn't notice this, kept on babbling at what he was planning to do but Harry paid absolutely no interest to it. Mark saw Harry bring out something in his left hand and press it (or did he rub it?) for a couple of seconds before putting it back into his pocket. Even though Harry had kept the object in his hand for some time, Mark had been unable to get a clear view of it.

Harry quickly took out a piece of parchment and a quill and began to write down very fast. Finally, after scribbling furiously for over a couple of minutes, Harry left the table and took off at full speed, leaving behind a bewildered looking Mark. Many glances were cast at the speeding figure and if Harry had stopped and looked back, he would have seen Hermione being pulled back by Ron to keep her from following him. After running around for a couple of minutes, he found an empty classroom, changed his appearance and portkeyed away to Diagon Alley.

"Ah…so nice to see you again" Harry said as he came face-to-face with Fudge who had a hooded robe on.

"What do you want this time?" Fudge asked a bit nervously as he noticed that the usual taunting smile was missing from the face of his _well-wisher_.

"Take this…" Harry handed Fudge the piece of parchment on which he had been scribbling furiously a few minutes back. "…and act on it as fast as you can"

"What is this?" Fudge asked wearily. "This is just a list of names"

"Yes" Harry replied. "A list of names of the people who will be approached by death-eaters for recruitment"

"What!" Fudge exclaimed. "When…how did you…know…know this?"

"Fudge, why do you keep asking me these 'how did I know' questions?" Harry queried. "You know that it's my job to know things and it's your job to maintain law and order. Just do it and don't ask any further questions"

"What if you are trying to trap…?" Fudge asked but stopped in mid-sentence when he saw his _well-wisher_ tapping his fingers on the table in front of him. "Ok…I will get to this tomorrow". Seeing the speed of tapping increase, Fudge hastened to add "No, this is urgent. I will call a meeting of the council right now"

"Good" Harry said as he stopped his tapping and felt relieved that Dumbledore, the Order and a group of aurors would soon start working in tandem. Hopefully, this time they would be able to stop a number of people from going missing. He was about to say something when he saw a familiar face in the group of people seated in The Leaky Cauldron. "You go and do your work while I get you some good press" Harry said as he pointed out Rita Skeeter to Fudge. Immediately the plump face of Fudge broke into a smile and he quickly got up and proceeded towards the ministry while Harry went towards the table where Rita Skeeter was seated.

"Is the other seat taken?" Rita Skeeter turned around to find _Simon Sinatras_ standing just behind her. She had been searching for this person for a long time as she wanted to get his interview and finding the person right in front of her almost made her scream out in joy.

"Unless you want to join me" Rita said, keeping her exterior self as calm as possible.

"It would be my pleasure" Harry replied with a smile and sat down as gracefully as he could. "May I know why such a beautiful lady is sitting all alone in a place like this?" Harry asked even though he was inwardly thanking his stars that his classes for the day had been called off due to some meeting between the staff members; which he knew was most likely the meeting of the Order.

"I was waiting for some charming person to give me an interview" Rita said with a matching false smile.

"And has that person arrived?" Harry asked.

"I think so" Rita said as she took out her quick-quotes quill and parchment. "But I still don't know whether that person would give an interview to me or not"

"Anyone would be willing to give an interview to such a charming lady like you" Harry replied.

"So, can we begin?" Rita asked, her demeanor changing to that of the reported she was.

"Of course" Harry said. "But can we move over to another corner please? It's too crowded on this side" Without even waiting for an answer, Harry got up and escorted Rita to the other side of the room which was almost empty.

The interview went on for well over an hour and a half in which Harry explained how good a person Fudge was, how much he had done for his family and what sacrifices he had made for the ministry. Harry had a few difficult moments when he had to invent up names of Fudge's relatives but at the end Aunt Demoniaca, Uncle Hamardy and cousin Mandypala all had their best wishes for Fudge and always hoped that he would prevail in protecting England from evil forces.

"Thank you for this interview Simon" Rita said as she finally stowed away her quill and parchment.

"No problem" Harry replied. "I hope you will print the truth and not twist my interview out of proportions to suit your needs".

"How can you ever think of me like that?" Rita said with a playful pat on Harry's shoulder. "I would never do anything like that to you". Harry smiled a genuine smile this time as he wondered to what level people could go to get their work done.

"I hope not" Harry said though he feared that it might not be the real case. Just then he saw another familiar feminine shape come into view from the far end of The Leaky Cauldron and saw that he had been spotted immediately by her. Cursing his luck inwardly, he continued to have his tête-à-tête with Rita, pretending to have not noticed anything but soon enough, an orange haired auror was standing next to him.

"You again?" Tonks asked without a hint of courtesy in it.

"Oh…hello lady" Harry said with a smile. "Have we met before?" He asked as he put up the best questioning look he could muster.

"Yes" Tonks replied firmly and changed to her pink-haired self.

"Oh yes, now I remember" Harry looked like a person whose memory had just been revived. "How are you?"

"I am fine" Tonks retorted "But who are you and how do you keep popping up here?"

"I am a friend who has to do his job" Harry replied. "By the way, this is my friend Rita" he said introducing Tonks to one of the most renowned reporters (for all the wrong reasons) in England.

"_So it's Rita now_" Tonks thought to herself before giving a false, friendly smile towards Rita who returned an equally false gesture.

"By the way, I should be going now" Tonks said. "I have some business to take care of"

"Nice seeing you again" Harry said as Tonks left. When Tonks was out of sight, he breathed a sigh of relief and thought it best to leave.

"Rita, it's been a pleasure talking to you but I have to leave now too" Harry said with a sad expression.

"I understand" Rita said. "Thanks for the interview"

"The pleasure was all mine" Harry said with a slight bow and headed towards the apparation point of Diagon Alley leaving behind a smiling Rita Skeeter. Harry's idea was to apparate to Sunshine Villa and then portkey back to his trunk since he didn't want to use a portkey in front of all the people present. As he neared the apparation point, he noticed a lane which seemed almost empty and he took out his wizard radar which confirmed his suspicions. Quickly he took out the portkey from his back pocket and returned to his trunk.

**&&&&**

"This time I will show Harry the guy I had been talking about" Tonks muttered under her breath as she walked towards the apparation point leaving behind 'Simon' and Rita. "Harry thought I had a crush on this guy but today I will show him that this guy is a big jerk who likes Rita. Rita! Couldn't he find someone else" Tonks had reached the apparation point by now. "Why am I worried who he likes anyway? Because that scar-head said I had a crush on him and today I will show him"

Tonks apparated to just outside Hogwarts and then portkeyed inside the trunk which was now no longer referred to as 'Harry's Trunk' but rather as the 'Family Trunk'.

"Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter's Tonkie?" Dobby said as he popped beside Tonks.

"How many times do I have to tell you I am not Harry Potter's" Tonks voice showed her frustration at being unable to change an elf's habit.

"Dobby is not knowing the answer to that question, Harry Potter's Tonkie" Dobby replied timidly, not realizing he had called Tonks just what she didn't want to hear – again!

"Argggg…" Tonks cried out in frustration and stomped off towards Harry's room. Taking out the book which Remus had given to Harry on his birthday, a replica of 'Hogwarts – A History', she flipped over to the last page where the second copy of the marauders map was present. She quickly scanned through the map but, to her rising concern, found that Harry's name was not present at all. After she had cross checked the map for the third time she started to panic and was thinking of whom to contact when she heard footsteps outside.

"Harry, is that you?" Tonks asked as she rushed out to meet the newcomer but froze in her place.

"Hi Tonks" Harry said in his normal voice but to his surprise found Tonks pointing her wand towards him.

"Who are you?" Tonks asked in a dead serious voice. "SPEAK NOW OR YOU WILL BE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY" Tonks shouted, more out of fear than real anger. In front of her stood the person named Simon Sinatras.

"_Damn_" Harry said to himself as he realized the situation and kicked out in frustration. Immediately the room provided a variety of items which could be broken and Harry kicked a glass vase and broke it to pieces. It was quite unlike him to lose his anger nowadays but he knew he had made a grave mistake today which would blow his whole cover on the Fudge issue.

"SPEAK UP" Tonks shouted again which brought Harry back to his senses.

"It's me Tonks" Harry said as he changed back into his original self.

"You…Harry…" Tonks stammered for a second and had almost lowered her wand before her auror senses kicked in again "Prove it"

"Tonks!" Harry said in frustration but on seeing no change in Tonks attitude, he said "Ok, I will just walk through to the 4'th compartment and come back. Is that fine with you?"

"Do it" Tonks replied knowing fully well that only the real Harry could go through the door. Once she saw Harry disappear through the door and reappear again, she finally lowered her wand and slumped down on a sofa which had appeared just behind her.

"It has been me all along" Harry said in guilty voice as he slumped down on a sofa opposite to Tonks. Seeing that Tonks was looking very sad, Harry said "Actually I didn't want to be seen in the public as Harry. You know how they go on about me. I had some things to do and I wanted to do it incognito and that's why Simon Sinatras had to come into existence"

"But why Harry?" Tonks asked in a whisper. "Why the attack on Diagon Alley? Why were you in the ministry?"

With a sigh, Harry continued "The person I attacked in Diagon Alley was a death-eater. In fact, it was Percy Weasley and that's how I knew he was a death eater" Tonks head snapped up at this but she did not interrupt Harry. "I wanted to gather some information regarding Voldemort's activities and that's why I took him as I had told you before. And I was at the ministry because I wanted Fudge to approve the usage of magic by the D.A. members in the trunk. You had said that all I had to do was make a wish but I didn't want to take any chances with it"

"And how come you can get Fudge to do whatever you wish to?"

"I…I have…" Harry paused for a moment and his mind wandered to his summer vacation before the start of the 5'th year. He had been angry and frustrated at being left in the dark for so long and later he understood that hiding the truth can only lead to disaster. His trust in Dumbledore had taken a beating at the end of the fifth year only because of lies and falsehood. He didn't want the same thing to happen here. He didn't want to lose the trust of Tonks and Remus.

"I have some documents which will mean the end of Fudge if they come out in the public" Harry said. "I am using these documents to force him into doing what I want"

"You are blackmailing a person?" Tonks asked in disbelief and her voice gave away her emotions. Harry felt as if someone had slapped him in the face when he heard her tone.

After another long sigh, Harry said "You know what; this is the same Fudge who made the life of Sirius miserable…" Harry's voice sounded very bitter "…and I wanted to make his life hell. I wanted to empty his accounts and make his life miserable. I wanted him to be disgraced in front of everyone so that he would be thrown out of the ministry. And I had everything in my hands…you know…right in these hands" Harry said as he looked at his own hands. "All I had to do was just hand them over to the nearest newspaper office and Fudge would have been dealt with. I wanted to do it but…"

"But what?" Tonks asked in a whisper.

"I saw that I could use him to help others. I could use him to make changes which would help all of us. And I had to resort to blackmailing him to get things done"

"It could have been done in other ways too" Tonks said, her voice nowhere near to the one everyone was familiar with.

"Maybe…" Harry said as his gaze returned towards the floor. "I may have been wrong but I tried for the best"

"What about the money?"

"What money?" asked a surprised Harry.

"The money which Fudge had 'awarded' to us. It was you, wasn't it?" Tonks asked sadly.

"Yes" Harry replied. When he had done all that, he had felt that he was doing the right thing but now, somehow, it seemed that he might have made a mistake down the line. Somehow it seemed that there could have been a better way out than blackmailing Fudge into all those stuff and this made him feel very guilty. "I thought that the ministry owed its staff something and I forced Fudge into doing it"

"It was pity, wasn't it?" Tonks asked in a low whisper.

"Pity?" Harry seemed shocked at this word. "For what?"

"You know…" Tonks began "…you have so much money that you always think of donating it. It's always been pity for the others, hasn't it? Pity that they don't have as much as you. Like you have done with Sarah or Norman."

"No Tonks" Harry was breathing very fast and he felt somewhat panicky at the charges Tonks was leveling against him. "It was not pity and it never will be. You guys deserve more than what I forced Fudge into giving you"

A sad smile came over Tonks face as she asked again "What about Rita Skeeter? She's now Rita for you?"

"No Tonks" Harry said, his voice still carrying the panic in it. "It's just an understanding between me and Fudge. He does what I tell him and I say good things about him to the press. That's why Rita Skeeter came into the picture"

Tonks remained silent at this and her silence made Harry quite worried. Tonks was the kind of person who would either be angry or be happy but seldom had Harry seen Tonks sad. Yes, she had been sad after the deaths of Sirius and Kingsley but that was another thing altogether. This time Harry knew that he was the culprit and he felt miserable for it. He was in a state where he could do anything to make Tonks smile and get rid of her sadness but he couldn't think of anything which would have the desired effect.

"Tonks…" Harry began. Tonks was still staring at the floor and Harry decided to continue "I am really sorry for all this. I never thought it would hurt you so much. I did all this for the best"

"Harry, you might have been right from your point of view but I don't know what to say. I mean, this is almost like cheating, isn't it?" Tonks said slowly. As Tonks slowly got up from her seat, Harry heard and saw a scene which almost broke his heart.

"Do I even know who you _are_ Harry?" Tonks said with tears in her eyes and then walked away towards her room.

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 15'th chapter. Sorry for the delay of an extra week. Next chapters will be more regular as my work pressure has decreased a bit :)

I made the mistake of putting Cho in the same class as Harry in some previous chapters. I regret it and will rectify it at the end of this fic as I don't have the energy to go back again.

**Nathalie-z **– Thanks for pointing out the mistake I made by putting Cho in the same class as Harry.

**dnd4ever** – By calling Harry an idiot, are you indirectly referring to me? ;)

**To all those people whose names I don't mention here** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	16. Who Am I? Part I

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 16 - Who Am I? (Part I)**

"Do I even know who you _are_ Harry?" Tonks said with tears in her eyes and then walked away towards her room.

**&&&&**

_Who am I? This question has been plaguing me ever since Tonks questioned my intentions and methods. I had dinner with Remus and Tonks but I couldn't dare to meet anyone's eye. Why? I couldn't even ask Remus about what had happened in the Order meeting and I bet Remus noticed the tension between me and Tonks._

_I don't know why Tonks reacted the way she did. Have I made any mistake? Have I tried to harm anyone? No. All I ever tried was to help others. Simon tried to help others. Harry Potter tried to help others and is still trying to do so to the best of his limits. But is Harry Potter wrong in his approach?_

_Doesn't the end justify the means? No, I don't think so. I mean, if tomorrow Voldemort was killed but the whole of Hogwarts got devastated and everyone died in trying to kill Voldemort, then would it be right? I mean, the end result would have been achieved but the means, which leads to such devastation, cannot be correct. So I guess that the end doesn't justify the means._

_I don't know what to think. I understand a certain portion of Tonks behavior as I had been kept in the dark last year too. Keeping secrets from someone can have devastating effects but my secrets would never have ended up taking a persons life as was the case with Sirius. But what if Tonks had cursed me as Simon? In that way I could have landed in a lot of trouble. So, was I right in keeping the secrets or not?_

_Is there any right or wrong in keeping these secrets? I was Simon before Remus and Tonks had become so close to me. I mean, they too must have some secrets which they never told me. Does Tonks expect me to tell her each and everything about my life? I never asked her to tell me everything; then…_

_Could I have dealt with Fudge differently? I could have got him fired and another person could have become the minister, but who could have guaranteed that that person would be on the light side? I have blackmailed Fudge and somewhere deep down I am ashamed of doing it but I have only tried to help others._

_Or did I? I mean, I have a great control over the ministry workings now and I can force Fudge to do as I wish. Does this mean that I want power? Like Voldemort? NO. I AM NOT LIKE THAT. This can't be the reason. I mean, I CANNOT be like that…that…thing._

Harry put down his quill and put his face in his hands thinking of what he had just written. He didn't want power; but he knew he had to have some power so that he could defeat Voldemort. After a few minutes, he picked up his quill again and continued writing in his journal, albeit at a slower pace.

_Fate has put me against Voldemort, not against his death-eaters. I can't take them all head-on. I need support and that's why I am using Fudge. If I have to take on Voldemort, then I have to have some things done my way. I have to use Fudge and I have to somehow convince Tonks about this._

_Tonks said that I pitied everyone and hence gave away money! How could she? I have never…damn it…I know I would never do something out of pity. Enough people pity me for not having parents and I absolutely hate that stare, that sad look, that…argh_

_No Tonks, I don't pity others because they have less money than me. Rather I pity myself for having so much and not having the capability of doing some good with this money. I don't know how you said it Tonks, but you know what Tonks, it hurt - it hurt very badly._

Harry put down the quill for a second time and wiped away a bit of moistness from his eyes. Only one thought rang through his mind - how could she? How could she think of him like that? She had known him for so long and yet she had made an accusation like that! Was it so bad in asking Fudge to reward the light wizards? After all, he had not hand-picked the 'poor light wizards' for the rewards. He didn't even have an idea as to how rich or how poor the aurors and the others were, but what he knew was that if the ministry wanted to keep the others motivated during these dark times, some rewards were needed.

_Maybe Tonks didn't mean everything she said. Maybe she was just too upset to care about what she said. _Harry started to write in his journal again. This was proving more difficult than the other journal entries and it seemed an even more emotion-draining experience than his experiences about Ron and Hermione. With a sigh, he continued.

_Yes, I have changed. I also don't like some of the things I do but I have to do them. I am not a kid anymore; no one ever remains a kid forever. I am walking a path which is leading me to my destiny and I can only hope that Remus and Tonks are still there with me when I fulfill my destiny. I just hope that these misunderstandings get cleared up as soon as possible and we don't go away too far from each other due to the road I have chosen._

**&&&&**

"Hi Ron"

"Hello" Ron said grumpily as he took his seat beside Hermione in the great hall. Breakfast nowadays was not what it used to be as most of the times Ron was grumpy which, Hermione knew, had something to do with Harry.

"So..." Hermione said after a few moments. "...have you finished your DADA essay?"

"Yes" replied Ron.

"What's the matter Ron?" Hermione said despairingly. "How long will you be like this?"

"Like what?" Ron asked, knowing fully well what Hermione was talking about.

"I mean...like this" Hermione said as she threw her hands up in the air. She was already very worried about Harry and now she had Ron on her hands too.

"I can't understand what you mean" Ron said without even looking at his girlfriend.

"When did you ever understand what I ever said" Hermione replied, sadness filling her voice. "You don't even talk nicely to me. You are always so…so…" Hermione's voice trailed off at this.

Ron slowly turned his head and said slowly "I - am - always - so - what?" The look in his eyes dared Hermione to speak any ill of him.

Hermione looked at his hardened eyes and felt quite frightened. She knew Ron was a very hot-headed person and she knew he would blow his top if she said anything which he didn't like. But she had never been afraid to speak the truth and, hardening her face, she said "Grumpy. You are so grumpy nowadays"

Ron's eyes narrowed at this comment from Hermione and Ginny, who had joined in on the last part, knew that Ron was about to scream at Hermione. Hermione, on the other hand, was mentally preparing herself about not being on talking terms with Ron for another fortnight and she also told herself she wouldn't comment on anything Ron said now. But, to the utter surprise of both Ginny and Hermione and a few other onlookers, Ron got up and left the table, without making a single sound.

"Oh my god" Ginny covered her face with her hands as she saw Ron disappear. "Oh my god"

"What's the matter Ginny?" Hermione asked in a quavering voice as her eyes shifted to and fro between the disappearing form of Ron and that of Ginny standing in front of her. She had not expected such a response from Ron and was breathing quite heavily due to tension.

"He is angry" Ginny said. "He IS really angry"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening in fear as she saw the fear in Ginny's eyes.

"When Ron gets very angry, that is when he is at the extreme most position of his temper, he shuts up" Ginny said, her voice quavering a bit too.

"WHAT!" Hermione exclaimed. "You mean…you mean that…but why…why would he just shut up?" Hermione looked desperately at the girl who was one year younger than her.

"It happened when I was only three years old" Ginny said, fear playing on her face as she tried to remember the occasion. "He got very angry with me and cursed me and then mom got angry with him"

"What do you mean he cursed you?" Hermione asked regaining her logical senses. "He was only four then. How could he curse you?"

"I don't know and neither does he. He just mumbled some words and something happened" Ginny exclaimed. "I don't even think it was any spell. I mean, when wizards get angry, they can do weird things without casting spells or without wands. He gave me boils all over my body and mom was so angry with him. She punished him severely. From that time onwards, when he gets _very_ angry, he just shuts himself up and burns inwardly in his own anger"

"Oh my god" these words came from the mouth of Hermione this time. "What should I do Ginny? What should I do?" she asked frantically.

"Talk to him" Ginny said, knowing that the sooner her brother got out of this mood, the better it was for everyone. "Talk to him NOW"

With a nod of her head, Hermione rushed off towards the Gryffindor tower, not even bothering to finish her breakfast. On her way there, she met Neville who asked her what was wrong with Ron. Not knowing what to say, as she herself didn't know why Ron was like this for so many days now, she just told the plump boy that they had an argument. Neville just shrugged his shoulders at this comment as it was a common thing for Ron and Hermione to have an argument nowadays.

"Ron" Hermione said as soon as she caught sight of her friend sitting at his usual place near the fire. "Ron…I am sorry" Hermione said softly. Slowly she took her position in her favorite chair, maintaining a steady gaze on Ron's face. Even as seconds trickled by, no response came from Ron, which was very unlike him.

"I am sorry" Hermione said again.

"For what?" Ron finally spoke which caused Hermione to breathe a sigh of relief.

"For saying whatever I did" Hermione replied.

"For being grumpy?" Ron spat back but somehow Hermione managed to control herself. "For being a git, for not talking to anyone, for going around alone, for being…"

"Please stop Ron" Hermione said with glistening eyes. "Please don't say all this"

"Hermione, this is what I am now" Ron said in an angry hiss. "This is what you will have to deal with now and…" Ron stopped at this point and Hermione, following Ron's gaze, saw Harry coming down the boy's dormitory stairs. "And…" Ron said in a bitter and hatred filled voice "…this is what _he_ has made me". Harry, who had not looked at his friends, stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Ron's words and looked around to see Ron pointing a shaking finger towards him.

"This boy has changed me" Ron burst out. "I thought of him as a friend but he doesn't care, not even for you Hermione. He thinks he is above everyone else" Ron said as he stood up and took a step towards Harry. "He thinks we are not worthy enough to be his friends anymore. I was jealous of you Potter…" Ron said, talking to Harry directly for the first time "…I was jealous of you but you showed me that there were things beyond jealousy. You showed me that I was wrong and I was happy about that. I was happy for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE to be proved wrong" Ron shouted.

Harry stood stunned as he heard Ron's words. He knew that there must have been some altercation between Hermione and Ron but he had never expected Ron to behave like this. Least of all, he had never expected Ron to talk directly to him after the cold war, as he liked to call it, which was going on between them.

For a moment Harry felt grateful that Ron was happy to be proved wrong. He knew that Ron knew that he had been wrong in being jealous of Harry but he had always thought that Ron would never have admitted it so openly. But here he was, standing in front of Hermione and Harry and admitting his mistakes.

"Yes Potter…" Ron continued in a more civil manner "…I was happy to have been proved wrong but now…" Ron paused for a moment as he surveyed Harry from top to bottom before he lashed out "Now I hate everything about you. No Potter, I am not jealous of you anymore" Hermione, who had been too shocked to even get up from her seat, looked on in even more shock at the scene which was unfolding in front of her. "Rather I would hate to be so selfish like _you_ Potter, you who doesn't care about his friends anymore. You have changed me again"

Turning back towards Hermione, Ron said "Why don't you ever say anything to him Hermione? Why do you keep asking me? Why does everyone keep asking only me? WHY ME?" Ron was now shaking in anger. "I AM GRUMPY. I AM BAD. BUT I AM NOT…NOT LIKE HIM"

Harry could take it no more. The past couple of days had already been a nightmare for him and today Ron was rightfully accusing him. Without waiting to listen to anything more which Ron had to say, he left the common room.

"LOOK AT HIM" Ron shouted as Harry went out of the portrait hole. "Look at him Hermione. That is what Potter is like now and you all keep asking me why am I like this". Hermione had got up from her seat and was trying to stop Ron but he seemed out of control and kept on talking hysterically.

"You all want to know why I am like this, don't you?" Ron said as he looked Hermione directly in her eyes. "I am like this because of _him_. He taught me a lot about friendship and LOOK AT HIM NOW" Ron shouted. "LOOK AT HIM DESTROYING HIS LIFE AND LOOK AT ME WHO CANT EVEN HELP HIM. I - CANT - BEAR - IT - ANYMORE."

Hermione looked shocked beyond reason. She had been assuming all along that Ron was angry because Harry was avoiding all of them but what she had just heard was what she had least expected. She had been expecting another bout of jealousness from Ron but this Ron spoke differently. This Ron was angry because he couldn't help out Harry and not the Boy-Who-Lived.

"I miss him Hermione" Ron said in a whisper and Hermione saw tears in the eyes of Ron for the first time in her life. "I miss him very much but that doesn't mean that I can't stay away from him. If he is happy staying away from us then I wont say anything but…but…HE IS NOT HAPPY Hermione, he is not happy" Ron said as he slumped down in his chair, oblivious of the fact that their classes were scheduled to start within another 10 minutes. Hermione, on the other hand, was too shocked to notice that they had been alone all this time.

"He is not happy Hermione" Ron repeated once again. "I keep seeing him all day long and I can tell that he is not at all happy with all that is happening. If I had not known him better, I would have said that he is under the imperius curse" Ron said in a whisper, his head in his hands. Hermione couldn't be sure but she thought she saw him blinking back tears. "Don't ask me what is wrong…" Ron continued "…ask _him_ what is wrong. Once he is ok, I will be fine too"

**&&&&**

Tonks was sitting by the warm fire in the trunk when she saw Harry come in and disappear into his room without looking around even once. One look at his face and Tonks knew that Harry was in great distress but she couldn't go up to him and help him out, at least not now when her ego stopped her.

The past couple of days had been very tense in the trunk. Though all the occupants had had their meals together as usual, there was a chill in the air of the trunk which wasn't hard to notice. Remus had raised the topic only once but after getting no response he had let the topic drop. He was far too experienced in life to know about the little arguments which went on between friends and families and he knew that it was just a matter of time before everything became normal again.

Tonks had thought very hard about what had happened over the past few days and wondered as to why she had reacted the way she did. She knew that what Harry had done was right in a way. Well, if she was truthful to herself, she liked the idea of Fudge working under someone for a change but still, somehow, Harry didn't fit the picture of a blackmailer.

The more Tonks thought about the Fudge issue, the more problem she had thinking of Harry blackmailing him. Maybe, she reasoned, she had somehow put Harry's image on a pedestal so high that she couldn't expect him doing anything wrong. Maybe Harry was as human as they all were but she still thought of him as someone more than a mere mortal. He was different than the others. True, everyone is unique in their own way but Harry was more different than normal.

The past few months for Tonks had been spent in getting to know Remus and Harry better and the more Tonks saw of them the more special she felt to be a part of their family. Remus was always the cool headed elder of the family who stepped in only when it was required but Harry was a person with whom you could have loads of fun. Tonks had enjoyed each and every moment she spent with Harry and, in their teasing moments, had come to know the human side of the Boy-Who-Lived.

For the past couple of days, Tonks had spent most of her time thinking of her interactions with Harry and, somehow, she couldn't think of him as a mere boy anymore. Harry had grown up though no one knew his exact age anymore, but what was even more important was that he had grown up to be a mature young man. He had a lot of burden on his shoulders and yet he didn't show signs of being under pressure, which was quite an amazing thing. Gone was the innocent boy who had known nothing except for the small world he lived in, who hoped for nothing else than a loving family, who wanted nothing more than having a cute girlfriend.

That innocent kid had now been replaced by a young man, in his late teens, who now wanted only the happiness of others, who would give up on his own life if it could make the difference between the war between good and evil. This person now lived every moment preparing for a fate which was written even before he was born, living every moment as if it could be his last. This person had given up on his happiness to try to protect others and stayed away from his friends in fear that they might be harmed. This same person now no longer wished for any relationship with anyone else except for 2 others and an elf. This person now no longer wished for a cute girlfriend anymore.

Tonks had seen most of this development in front of her eyes and she knew that the burdens of Harry's life had made him do what he had done but still, she wished it had not been him. She couldn't bring herself to grip with the fact that the innocent boy she had known was not so innocent nowadays. She liked the new person but she had loved the older one even more.

Love? Tonks had initially laughed at herself when she had thought of this word. Love was something which seemed forbidden for a girl like her. After all, all she was worth was the fact that she could be anyone's dream girl but she knew that Harry would never ask her to do anything like that.

Wait! Why did the question of Harry asking her to change her shape even come into the picture? This question caused a lot of confusion in her mind. Along with this one, another question also bothered her very much - why was she jealous of Rita? Tonks knew that Harry deserved a nice girl and not some early-thirties witch like Rita but that still did not help her understand why she was angry with Harry because of Rita.

Tonks had spent a lot of time thinking of how she felt about Harry. She didn't know when but somewhere in the past few months, she had developed a soft corner for Harry. She wanted him to like her and to be always friends with her. She wanted to know everything about him and wanted to take away all his pain. But she had pushed away all these thoughts to the back of her mind as _just_ friendly feelings. But this time, during her altercation with Harry, she had found that the image of Harry she had crafted so delicately over the past months was flawed. She didn't know everything about him and hence the image had developed gaping holes in it. But still, her feelings for him had not diminished a bit.

But didn't she know a lot about him, this was the question which Tonks asked her countless times in the past 72 hours, and the answer to this was - yes. She knew Harry well enough to like him a lot and with the new findings, somehow she liked him even better. Maybe it was because it made Harry a human too, maybe it was because she could now guide him in some ways or maybe it was because he had shared some of his secrets with her. She couldn't pinpoint the exact cause of her liking him more than before and was also not too keen on finding the reason because of another important question which was looming in front of her - what did Harry mean to her?

Tonks spent loads of time at work and at home to decide her feelings about Harry. Harry was after all the Boy-Who-Lived and who was soon going to be either have to kill or be killed but she wasn't interested in all that stuff. She knew that he was a kind person who cared for others and she liked him for that. Adding this to all the other things she knew about him, she couldn't deny one single truth, the truth which was the real reason for her jealously of Rita - she had fallen for Harry the person and not the Boy-Who-Lived and she had fallen hard.

**&&&&**

"Why does Ron have to blame me for everything?" Harry said to himself as he threw away his books on his bed. "Why doesn't he just stay away instead of blaming me? Tonks blames me, Ron blames me, Hermione blames me…"

Harry sat down in the corner of his bed thinking again about what had happened in the past 72 hours. It seemed like his whole world had changed for the worse even without a dark lord in his sights for the moment. After sitting in the dark for quite a long time, Dobby entered and informed him that dinner was ready.

"Any news?" Harry asked hesitantly as he sat down at the table. Remus saw that neither Harry nor Tonks were looking at each other and came to the conclusion that their differences were still not dealt with.

"The ministry caught 3 death eaters today" Remus said. "They had all come to escort certain people for recruitment"

"Why would the death-eaters escort new recruits?" Harry asked. "All they have to do is send portkeys and the recruits will reach the targeted places"

"You are right about that" Tonks replied this time but her voice was quite professional, as if she was explaining something to a new recruit. "Actually it seems that the ministry had obtained a list of names of people who were going to be recruited. Many of those people had been contacted by the ministry and they were told that they would be provided with ministry protection. While some of them refused, others agreed to take our help. Out of the total 13 people we had contacted, we have been able to protect 8 of them"

"What about the others?" Harry asked, forgetting that he was not on the best of terms with Tonks right now. After all, personal differences had no place when there were people's lives at stake.

"It seems that the others willingly went on to join the dark forces" Tonks replied with a sigh. She knew that the more the number of death-eaters around, the more was the threat on everyone else, including Harry.

"I see" Harry replied thoughtfully. Pausing for a minute, in which he didn't even touch his food, Harry asked his next question "What happened at the Order meeting about Percy?"

Remus looked sad at this question and Harry assumed that it had gone as worse as it possibly could. Tonks also looked at Remus in anticipation as she had not been at the meeting that day due to other Order duties.

"It didn't go well" Remus said. "I had told Dumbledore about the situation initially and he had asked only Arthur to come to the meeting. When we told him the news, he didn't believe it"

"And?" Tonks prompted Remus after he had remained silent for quite a few moments.

"Well, he thought that this was some kind of a joke" Remus said. "It was very hard for him to even believe it. Ultimately, when he was sure that we were not joking, he broke down completely"

"I feel so awful" Harry whispered. He loved the Weasleys very much and Mr. Weasley was one of his favorites because of his down-to-earth attitude and also because of the fact that he provided the stability factor to the Weasley household. If Mr. Weasley broke down, then who would provide the required support to Mrs. Weasley?

"This was bound to happen" Remus said in a consoling voice. "You couldn't have done anything about it. Anyway, Arthur recovered well after that and he has promised to inform the Order of all of Percy's activities. It seems Percy had visited them only once around 3 months ago to collect all his remaining things. After that, there has been no word from him"

"Fits in with the scene perfectly" Tonks commented.

"What else happened?" Harry asked Remus in his guilt-filled voice.

"Dumbledore has personally set up wards around the Weasley home" Remus said. "We just hope that Percy keeps in mind that they are his family"

"It's all my fault" Harry said. "If I had informed everyone earlier, then perhaps we could have taken these precautions earlier. I had almost messed up their whole lives"

"Better late than never" Remus said in a soothing voice.

"Remus, I have something else to confess too" Harry said while Tonks seemed to tense slightly. "I gave the list of names to Fudge"

"You?" Remus looked startled while Tonks looked as if her suspicions had just been confirmed.

"Yes" Harry replied and looking Remus in his eyes, Harry added "And I want to tell you something more also"

"So..." Remus said after he had patiently listened to everything which Harry had to say "...you are Simon and you did a lot of this. Hmmm...I must admit that I am a bit startled at all this"

"I know" Harry said before asking tentatively "Are you angry with me?"

"Angry?" Remus looked even more startled at this. "In what sense? If you ask me whether I am angry with you for getting Fudge to do some good work, then my answer is no. But if you ask me if I am angry with your tactics, then I am slightly upset. Not angry but upset because you can land in great danger because of your methodologies. Have you ever thought what could have happened if Fudge ordered Simon's arrest?"

"But he wouldn't" Harry replied. "He is too afraid"

"But what if tomorrow someone places him under the imperious curse?" Remus queried. "That person could use legilimency to read his mind and can see the importance of 'Simon' in Fudge's life"

"Maybe you are right" Harry replied thoughtfully. "I had never thought of this thing"

"Another thing is that..." Remus paused a bit before saying "...that I don't like you doing all this blackmailing stuff. I mean..." Remus raised his hand to stifle Harry's protest "...what I mean is that it is ok when you are in school or playing pranks with friends but in real life, it can get murky sometimes"

"Then tell me what I should do?" Harry said in a frustrated voice. "Tell me what you would have done if you had been in my situation."

Remus looked thoughtful for while as he went over everything which Harry had told him. "To tell the truth, I don't know what would I have done" Remus said. "Maybe I would have gone to Dumbledore, maybe I would have given this to some leading newspaper, maybe...well…there could be so many things which could have been done. I really don't know what I would have done but what I know for sure is that the path you have chosen is a risky one."

"Maybe" Harry said as he got up and slowly walked towards his room.

**&&&&**

The next few days at school passed in a blur for Harry. In a way he was learning quite a lot of things but it was also a fact that most of the time he was lost in other thoughts too. Ron seemed to have quitened down a lot in this time and he seemed to be avoiding Harry too. What Harry didn't know was that Hermione had stepped in and had asked Ron to leave Harry alone for some time. She had managed to convince Ron that Harry would get back to being normal and that maybe he was waiting for something.

Hermione herself was very busy in her own way. She had taken on a self-imposed duty to find out what was wrong with Harry and for this she had started interacting a lot with Neville, Cho and Soha. Neville and Cho told Hermione that Harry always talked to the point nowadays and did not beat around the bush. Neville also added that Harry had given him tips from time to time as to how to run the D.A. and Cho also added that Harry seemed to be there for them when they needed his help. All this seemed quite puzzling for Hermione as, on one hand, she found Harry to be very co-operative while on the other hand, he was keeping his interactions to a minimum.

After talking to Neville and Cho, Hermione talked to Soha in detail. Soha told her how helpful Harry had been initially and how he was the main source of her gaining confidence on the people at Hogwarts. She told her that Harry seemed very normal most of the time but whenever she had asked him about Ron and Hermione, he seemed to just shut up. In fact, he had once even told her that he didn't want to talk about them.

"You mean he didn't even tell you how he became best friends with me and Ron?" Hermione asked in puzzlement.

"No" Soha replied. "He never brought up the topic involving the three of you. It seemed to upset him or something"

"But Harry doesn't get too upset nowadays, does he?" Hermione said thoughtfully based on one of her observations.

"He never got upset in front of me" Soha replied thinking that Hermione had posed the question to her. "I mean, sometimes he is a bit moody but he has never been upset so much that he wouldn't even talk to me or something like that"

"Why did you guys break up?" Hermione asked.

"Break up?" Soha seemed somewhat irritated by this question. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean..." Hermione hastened to add quickly "...that you two had some kind of an argument. At least that's what we all heard"

"I see" Soha said. Harry had asked her to maintain the argument story so that trouble didn't brew up between Soha and Malfoy and Soha had promised that she would do her bit. "Yeah, we had an argument but I don't want to discuss it with anyone"

"But Soha..." Hermione said "...this could be very important for me and Ron. I mean, we have to know what is wrong with Harry and if I don't get all the facts then I will never be able to unravel the truth"

"I understand what you are talking about" Soha replied. "But what I don't understand is what my argument with Harry has to do anything with this. I mean, he must have some other problems with you people. Why drag our problems into this? Believe me, our problem has no connection with any other person"

"Soha, I have to..." Hermione was cut short by Soha this time.

"Enough Hermione" Soha said in an irritated voice. "I am not the kind who discusses my private life in public. I have some problems with Harry and he has some problems with me. I think this is enough for both of us. I can't tell you anything else". Hearing this, Hermione's face fell. Soha's tone has spelled out very clearly that this was the end of their discussion, at least on this topic. With a shrug of her shoulders, Hermione said "Ok. But if you ever think you can be of some help to Harry's two best friends, then please do so. This is a request". Soha gave an affirmative nod and both the girls headed in different directions.

"Have you made any progress?" Ron asked as soon as Hermione had entered the common room and settled in the chair beside him.

"Not much" Hermione said in a disappointed voice. "I have talked to many people and all of them say that he helps them if they require it. Apart from that, he always remains in an almost neutral state"

"Neutral state?"

"I mean, he doesn't talk much to anyone anymore. Cho had asked him to go with him to Hogsmeade and he had refused it too" Hermione explained. "He doesn't have any girlfriend unlike most other people his age. He sits around in the library reading in his free time. I mean, he has changed. I don't know what happened but he has undergone some massive change"

"Is it good or bad?" Ron asked. Seeing Hermione's questioning look, Ron asked "Is it doing him any good or is it harming him? If it is harming him then I will give him a beating"

"Ron" Hermione glared at him before continuing in a calmer tone "It's not harming him now but no one can tell what may happen"

"Yes" Ron agreed. "No one can tell when he might be facing death and we would have no idea about it". With that, Ron got up and headed towards the boys dormitory while Hermione stared at the retreating figure.

Ron had also changed. His change may not have been drastic but, for the first time in many months, he was talking to Hermione about what might be good for Harry. Hermione assumed that for these past months he must have had a terrible time without his best friend and some kind of a volcano of emotions had been building inside him. This volcano had erupted the other day in front of Harry and after that, Ron had settled down a bit. Sharing his feelings with Hermione had been a great release for him and at least now Hermione knew that he was not acting out of jealousy but rather out of anger - anger at being sidelined when his best friend needed him the most.

**&&&&**

October 20'th came and went and Harry's miserable feeling grew even more. It had been 9 days since he had talked to Tonks normally and these 9 days seemed like 9 months to him. Each moment he passed in the presence of Tonks, unable to talk properly to her, was like an eternity to him. He had never expected this to be so stressful for him. To tell the truth, his relationship with Remus and Tonks over the past few months had been like a honeymoon period for all of them. Yes, some minor disagreements had been there but all each of them could remember was the numerous happy times they had spent together. Harry reasoned with himself that this was too good to last for longer periods of time but what made this situation so painful was that he was the source of all the tension.

The more he thought of the situation, the more helpless he felt. Finally, after thinking continuously for over 3 hours, he decided he would have to take the first step and try to normalize his relation with Tonks. With this on his mind, he walked out of his room to find Tonks sitting at the dining table and having her midnight snack but to his surprise, she seemed to be wide awake and fully dressed. An awkward silence followed as Harry took a seat opposite to Tonks and tried to formulate a sentence which could initialize a discussion. Finally, finding nothing else to say, he began with the only thing which came to his mind.

"Hi". Two voices chorused the same words. Harry guessed that Tonks had been thinking something similar to him and had come to her decision at the same time as himself. Tonks seemed to be fidgeting in her seat but Harry didn't notice it as he was more concerned with his own squirming.

"I am sorry". Two voices chorused for the second time. Both Harry and Tonks couldn't help but smile at the second coincidence and this seemed to have a relaxing effect on the whole atmosphere in the room.

"I wanted to say something" Harry said, raising his hand simultaneously to avoid a third coincidence. Tonks gave a slight nod in acknowledgement and Harry continued "I should have apologized earlier but…well…anyway…what I wanted to say was why I am doing all this"

After taking a deep breath, Harry said "Tonks, I am not that innocent little kid you met at Privet Drive. I have changed and this is what I am now. I mean…" Harry paused for a few moments in which his attention was greatly focused on his palms "…you know what, maybe I would have liked to live at Privet Drive my whole life. At least, in that case, I wouldn't have been responsible for all that is happening here. I can't just leave all these people to Fudge. And if someone else replaced Fudge, is there any guarantee that they will help us? I don't think so. I…"

"Please stop" Tonks said in a whisper. Harry looked up at Tonks and saw that she was looking strangely at him. "I shouldn't have said all that I did"

"No Tonks, you were..."

"Will you let me speak for a moment" Tonks said forcefully which caused Harry to shut up. A few moments of silence passed before Tonks said "I said some things to you which can't be very nice to hear. I myself wouldn't have liked to hear all that stuff. But what was more important for me was to figure out what I feel about you...r...your actions" Tonks suddenly looked panic stricken at this and stammered along. Relief washed over her features as she noticed that Harry had not been able to figure out anything from her words. With a inwardly sigh of relief, she continued "To tell the truth Harry, maybe I would have done the same thing as you but then, I might have ended up hating myself for it...maybe not...I really don't know"

"But I hate myself for it" Harry said in a whisper. "I am a blackmailer but do I have any choice Tonks?" Harry looked at Tonks dead in the eyes and Tonks, for the first time in many months, saw the little kid she had known initially. There was the same helplessness in his eyes, the same fear, the same insecurity which she had seen when she had first met him and she wanted to reach out and take away all the pain and sufferings and yet, she was unable to do so.

"Tonks" Tonks was brought out of her thoughts by the strange strangled voice of Harry. "I might be everything bad which you can think of but I do not pity others. I swear I do not pity you or anyone else regarding money. Never..." Harry choked off at this and turned his gaze away from Tonks but not before she had seen some moistness in his eyes. She now understood the full impact of what one of her particular statements had caused.

"I am sorry Harry" Tonks said as she reached out to hold his hands. A shiver went through her body but she tried everything in her will power to prevent Harry from noticing any strange behavior. "I...I didn't mean it like that. I...I wanted..." Tonks couldn't bring herself to complete the whole sentence. How could she say that she wanted to hurt him because he had hurt her? How could she say that she wanted to get even with him because she was jealous of seeing him and Rita together? How could she say _why_ she was jealous of Rita in the first place?

"I am sorry for everything I did" Harry said as he regained his voice and gripped Tonks hands strongly. "I will accept any punishment you give me but I can't stay without talking to you for days on the end. Just don't ask me to change my ways with Fudge and all because it is too late now"

"I understand Harry" Tonks replied, her eyes fixed on Harry's hand holding hers.

"I missed you Tonks" Harry said in a whisper.

"I missed you too Har" Tonks replied, hoping that Harry would understand what her words really meant while simultaneously fearing his reaction. Oh, if only he knew how much she had missed him these past few days.

**&&&&**

"You look very 'appy today 'arry" Fleur Delacour said to her student who was busy in an extra class which his professor had arranged for him. Harry had been so happy at the normalization of his relation with Tonks that he had been practically skipping though his classes and everything else for that matter.

"Yes Fleur" Harry replied, referring to his professor by her first name because they were alone in the classroom at that moment. "I have had some problems over the last few days and it was sorted out yesterday". Harry's face broke into a grin as he said this.

"Nice to know that 'arry" Fleur replied with a smile. "But what 'bout your potion problemz?"

"I know professor" Harry had a hurt look on his face. "You can fail me if you want"

"I wouldn't do zat to you, would I?" Fleur said as she dwindled a quill in her fingers. Harry saw that she was marking essays and the one in front of her was his own.

"Now, did I say something about failing me if you want?" Harry asked with a slightly nervous look on his face. "I had meant it as a joke"

"I zee" Fleur said in an off-handed manner as she continued to mark Harry's essay. "Hmmm...Unicorn 'air in Flobberworm mucus...zeems to be an interesting recipe"

"It's correct" Harry said confidently.

"When did I zay it waz wrong?" Fleur asked with a smile. Harry looked stunned for a moment and then felt himself turning red in embarrassment. Quickly he went back to his potion and added the required ingredients while Fleur continued to grade his essay. After a while, Harry remembered something.

"Fleur, I need some help" Harry said.

"What 'ave you done this time?" Fleur asked in a professor like voice.

"No! The potion is coming along fine" Harry replied quickly and was relieved to see the professor being replaced by the person he had come to know about a little bit. "I wanted to know what gift I should give to a girl on her birthday"

"Who is ze lucky girl?" Fleur asked, though Harry saw that she wasn't as enthusiastic as he had seen her previously.

"She's not a girl" Harry replied. "I mean, she's a woman"

"Oooooooo" Fleur said in a teasing voice. "Harry Potter likes only women"

"Hey, shut up" Harry hissed but, to his dismay, saw that his words had no effect on Fleur's mischievous look. "It's Tonks. Her birthday is on the 25'th of this month"

"I zee" Fleur replied a bit more seriously this time. "So you want to give 'er a present?"

"Of course I do" Harry replied. "What should I give her? I mean, she's an auror and all. Should I give her something like an auror shield or..." Harry was cut off here by Fleur.

"You don't 'ave any brainz, do you?" Fleur asked Harry in a rather irritated voice which was quite unlike here and then said in a comical mock of Harry's words "Z_hould__ I give 'er something like an auror shield..._"

"Sorry" Harry said as he put up his hands in surrender. "See, that's why I am asking you. So, what do you think I should give her? You have talked to her somewhat and you must know what she would like"

Fleur looked lost in thought for some moments and Harry thought it best not to interrupt her chain of thoughts. "You know what 'arry..." Fleur said finally "...you zhould give 'er something which will make 'er remember you". Harry nodded at this because he too wanted his gift to be unique. The only problem was he didn't know exactly what girls liked. "Give 'er something which iz green in color..." Fleur continued thoughtfully. She was also at a loss here because Tonks was not the conventional woman added to the fact that she had very limited interaction with her. "Give 'er a..."

"HOLD" Harry screamed out. "This has to be unique from my side, right? So, if I want to truly give her a good gift, it should come from me. I mean, I should think of it, right?" Fleur only nodded her head in reply. "Something green...yes, I can borrow that concept" Harry said with a smile. "How about an emerald ring?" Harry asked enthusiastically while Fleur looked slightly stunned.

"You know what 'arry, I waz also about to suggest that when you stopped me" Fleur said. "It will be a great gift"

"You think she will like it?" Harry asked with even more enthusiasm.

"She will love it" Fleur replied with a smile.

"Thanks Fleur" Harry said, unable to wipe the satisfied grin from his face. Finally he would be able to give Tonks a present which she might like. At least, if Fleur thought it was a good gift then it should be one, he reasoned.

"Now Mr. Potter" Harry was brought out of his thoughts by a stern voice. "Would you mind cleaning up ze mess which your potion 'as created at your table?" Harry slapped himself on his forehead because he had forgotten everything about the potion he was brewing which had spilled over onto his desk. Quickly he muttered some cleaning spells and the whole desk looked as good as new. Taking his leave for the day and promising his teacher that he would finish the potion tomorrow, a happy Harry walked back to his dormitory saying "Only 3 more days, only 3 more days..."

**&&&&**

Two days passed in a haze for Harry whose mind was occupied only by the thought of the ring which he had ordered for Tonks. Finally, as the whole family gathered for dinner on the night of October 24'th, Harry saw that Tonks looked slightly nervous while Remus looked very calm and was happy that things had returned to normalcy.

"Both of you remember why tomorrow is special, right?" Tonks spoke up for the first time since they had started dinner.

"Yeah" Remus said in a very important fashion. "How can we forget what day tomorrow is"

"Yeah" Harry added in a similar tone. Tonks seemed to relax at this as she thought that at least this time someone would wish her on her birthday.

"So Harry, have you decided what to do tomorrow?" Remus asked while Tonks looked quite excited at hearing this, thinking that Harry had something planned for her.

"I really don't know" Harry said with a helpless look on his face. "Maybe Tonks can help me out with it"

"Yeah...yeah...I can" Tonks almost started bouncing up and down on her seat.

"So..." Harry started slowly, looking at the happy face of Tonks "...do you think I should..." at this point, Harry's voice trailed off.

"You should what?" Tonks asked expectantly. "Tell...tell...I will help you decide"

"Do you think I should go out with Ginny or Cho tomorrow?" Harry asked, suppressing a guilty grin. After all, both Remus and Harry knew that Tonks loved to be surprised and that was exactly what they had in mind. At hearing this question, Tonks looked like a balloon whose air had just been let out and both Harry and Remus exchanged guilty looks.

"Both of them asked me for tomorrow's Hogsmeade weekend" Harry tried to explain his situation to a crestfallen Tonks. "But I have to meet you guys in the afternoon..." Tonks brightened up slightly at this "...because you promised me a party on the second Hogsmeade weekend". Tonks face fell again as she heard this. "So you see, I am in a fix now. What do you think I should do?" Harry asked Tonks very seriously.

"Go out with McGonagall" Tonks replied in an irritated voice and stomped her way out of the room. Both Remus and Harry burst out laughing the moment they saw Tonks enter her room and slam the door shut.

"You know Remus, I think we overdid it" Harry replied once he had got his breath back.

"Good for her" Remus replied looking every bit the marauder he was. "Just think of how happy she will be tomorrow"

"Yeah, that's right" Harry agreed. "Hopefully she will forgive us later on"

"Don't worry" Remus replied, trying to convince Harry. "She will forgive us the moment we wish her. By the way, you have made everything ready, haven't you?"

"I brought everything and Dobby set up the things nicely" Harry replied.

"And how are we getting there tomorrow?" Remus asked. "You still haven't told me yet"

"Portkeys" Harry replied with a wink.

**&&&&**

"Bye you guys" Harry said as he rushed towards the door of the fifth compartment on the 25'th of October. "I will meet you guys in Hogsmeade later today" Remus waved him while Tonks looked very sullen. "Hey Tonks..." Harry cried out before he left. "...I think I will go with Luna". With this Harry quickly turned around and rushed out so that Tonks didn't see his mischievous smile.

"I will kill him one day" Tonks said in a low whisper as she saw Harry rush out. "How could he do this to me today?"

"Yeah" Remus agreed which caused Tonks to turn around in surprise. Maybe Remus had remembered after all. "He should have gone to Hogsmeade with us and shouldn't have left alone. In that way..."

"Argh" Tonks grunted as she got up and went to her room, not noticing the look of utter glee on the face of Remus. Tonks had taken the day off as was her yearly routine but she had never imagined that this would be her worst birthday ever. In a way, this birthday was just like the one's before – alone and without any excitement - but this time around, she had expected something, at least from Harry. With a sigh, she slumped down on her bed and the next moment she felt a pull behind her navel. But before she had the time to even think, she landed with a bump in a dark room. As soon as she drew her wand, she heard something which she had been hoping to hear for the whole morning today.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" Two male voices and an elfish voice shouted as soon as they heard the thump. With a wave of his wand, Harry said the counter-spell to the _darkness charm_ he had cast. With another spell, this time from Remus, the room in which they were present was filled in a mixture of darkness and light and smoke clouds filled up the floor. Tonks, who had returned her wand to its holster, looked awestruck.

"Where are we?" Tonks finally managed to splutter out after she had finished checking the decorations and other things. If she didn't knew better, she would have thought she was in heaven.

"We are in the Shrieking Shack" Harry answered.

"WHAT!" Tonks looked alarmed as she thought that she might not have come to heaven; rather this could be hell. "There are ghosts here" Tonks said in a trembling voice.

"No Tonks" Remus said and explained the history of the shack to her. After listening to Remus for 5 minutes straight, Tonks finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Now that I know the truth about this place..." Tonks said "...I want to finish all of you for the anguish you caused me. Have you any idea about how bad I was feeling?"

"Don't you feel better now?" Harry asked meekly.

"That I do" Tonks said softly before her voice returned to its earlier majestic tone. "But that doesn't excuse you people. That was no way to treat a lady". Tonks closed her eyes and lifted her nose up in the air in a mocking gesture. Harry took the opportunity and gave a slight cough.

"Who coughed?" Tonks eyes snapped open instantly. "You don't think I am a lady, do you? Let me tell you something, I have had tea with Queen Elizabeth herself" As Tonks said this, she took a step forward towards both Harry and Remus and stumbled slightly, causing both the guys to burst out laughing.

"That's enough for today Tonks" Remus said in short gasps as he tried to regain his breath. Apparently, even though he didn't know too much about the muggle world, he was still familiar with the Queen's name. Tonks had a look in her eyes which would have run shivers through any other person present but both Harry and Remus knew it was a fake look. Finally Tonks gaze rested on Dobby who seemed to be laughing as well.

"You little elf, how dare you laugh at me?" Tonks said in an angry tone at which Dobby shut up instantly.

"Dobby is sorry for causing you trouble, Harry Potter's Tonkie" Dobby said in a meek voice.

"Argh..." Tonks grunted. "When will you stop call me that?"

"Dobby is not knowing, Harry Potter's Tonkie". Both Remus and Harry were now rolling on the floor in laughter.

"I - didn't - ask - for - an - answer" Tonks said through gritted teeth. Finally, after Harry had regained his breath, he managed to calm down Tonks.

"Hey, we are all sorry" Harry said in an apologetic voice. "We didn't mean to anger you"

"Who said I was angry?" Tonks asked with a smile and approached Dobby. Finally she patted the trembling house-elf on his head and said "Call me whatever you want to Dobby". If someone had listened a bit more carefully, they would have noticed a hint of hope in Tonks's voice. "I just thought that I would help you guys to have a laugh" Tonks said finally. "But, that doesn't mean you are forgiven for treating me so badly today morning" she said before adding "AND yesterday night"

Remus and Harry exchanged a knowing look. This was the way in which Tonks asked for her presents or whatever she had in mind. Remus was the first one to speak.

"Can this mere werewolf offer you this small gift?" Remus said as he held out a box for Tonks. With trembling hands Tonks opened it and instantly broke into tears. Inside were all the toys and pictures and everything else which Sirius had given to Tonks.

"Oh Remus..." Tonks said in between wiping her tears "How can I ever thank you? I have...been searching for all this for so long now. Don't worry about the tears. These are happy ones"

"We don't want to see you cry Tonks" Harry said and both Dobby and Remus nodded their heads in agreement. "Never ever"

"Will try Har" Tonks said as she closed the box. She would have to take a good look at it tonight when she had some free time.

"And this is Dobby's gift for Harry Potter's Tonkie" Dobby said and gave Tonks an electric-blue colored hand-knitted sweater which had a black lighting streak cutting across it. Harry looked slightly shocked at seeing the plain color combination which was looking quite good and he couldn't help but wonder why Dobby couldn't give such a gift to him. As if reading his thoughts, Dobby said to Tonks "Dobby is thinking Harry Potter's Tonkie is colorful enough and so Dobby making a plain color sweater for her. Is Harry Potter's Tonkie liking it?"

"I love it Dobby" Tonks said in delight and Dobby's face broke into a toothy grin. "Did you knit it yourself? How long did it take?"

"2 months" Dobby said in an embarrassed manner. "Dobby is sorry he isn't able to give more time to the sweater"

"You knitted a sweater for 2 months!" Tonks exclaimed. "Whoa, you have patience. Don't worry Dobby, this couldn't have come out better. I just love it". This seemed to help Dobby regain his cheerful mood once again.

"What about my present?" Tonks asked indignantly to Harry.

"Here you go" Harry said and enlarged a tiny box which had been in his pocket all the time. When the box was fully enlarged, Tonks saw that it was big enough for a TV to fit inside it.

"What did you get me?" Tonks cried out enthusiastically, not daring to touch the box.

"You have to see it for yourself" Harry replied and made himself comfortable in a chair. Tonks saw that she had no other option but to open it herself. Slowly, she opened the box only to find that it fell away, making its way for a smaller box inside. Opening the second box also went the same way and there was a third box inside. After she had done this for 14 boxes, she grew really impatient.

"Is this another of your tricks? What is this – a box in a box in a box? It would be better for your health if you have got me something or else..." She said without taking her eyes off the box. After the 25'th box had been opened, Tonks had a look at the 26'th one and slumped down on a nearby chair. The box in front of her was small enough to fit in her palms and she just couldn't visualize anything so small which Harry could have got her.

"C'mon Tonks, you can't let it get to you NOW" Remus encouraged her.

"Yup" Harry agreed. "Let me see, only 3 more boxes to go"

"Really?" Tonks asked, her child-like exuberance back in its place and she started opening the boxes again. True to Harry's words, after the third box fell, a small ring box stood in its place. Tonks looked stunned at seeing what was before her and sat down in her chair.

"C'mon, pick it up" Harry cried out. With trembling hands, Tonks reached forward and picked up the box. Opening it slowly, she found a small ring with a beautifully cut green emerald positioned on the top. The ring itself was quite plain in its design and overall look, but to Tonks it was priceless.

"Tha...y..." was all that came out of Tonks mouth but Harry understood enough to know that Tonks had liked it. That was all that mattered in the end. For a long time Tonks kept looking at the ring but finally she put it away, much to Harry's astonishment.

"Hey, why don't you wear it?" Harry cried out again.

"You will teach me what to do and what not to do with a ring?" Tonks asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Harry. "I will decide it for myself when to wear this ring"

"Ok" Harry shrugged his shoulders. "It's your gift and you can do whatever you want to". After that, all three of them plus Dobby settled down in their respective positions.

"Thank you very much" Tonks said to no one in particular but went on to add "to all of you"

"Enough 'thank you's'" Remus said. "Now, what do we do today?"

"We eat, talk and sleep" Harry replied. "And then we eat, talk and sleep again. Just the routine Tonks follows"

"Hey..." Tonks gave a glare at Harry. "You forgot stumbling". At this, all of them burst out laughing. How could someone ever forget Tonks stumbling around?

**&&&&**

"Fle...Professor Delacour" Harry called out to Fleur on the corridors of his school. Two days had passed since Tonks had had her birthday and he had yet to tell Fleur about how much Tonks had liked his present. After all, he owed Fleur a _report_ since she had suggested something green to give to Tonks but he always kept forgetting to tell her.

"Yes 'arry?" Fleur said as she turned around to face Harry.

"I forgot to tell you something" Harry said as he caught up with his teacher. Many students around them were giving them jealous looks and it was no secret that many rumors had spread in Hogwarts due to the jealousy of such students. "Tonks liked the present" a grinning Harry informed the veela.

"That's so nice to hear" Fleur said with a genuine smile. She absolutely loved the way Harry was always happy when he could make someone else happy. "You must 'ave 'ad a great time with her?"

"Yeah" Harry replied as he fell in step with his teacher. Both of them had some common corridors to cover before their paths led them in different directions. "All of us had a great time"

"All of you?" Fleur gave a questioning glance towards Harry but quickly understood. "Oh, you mean your friend Remus was there too. So stupid of me"

"No problem" Harry replied. "The bottom-line is that we all had a great time and Tonks liked her present"

"'ope you 'ave a good time during Christmas too" Fleur said hopefully. "To tell the truth, I am quite scared"

"Nah" Harry replied in a very informal manner. "Just make sure that Tonks has her 14-hour beauty sleep during the holidays and the whole world will be able to live in peace"

Fleur smiled at this comment but reprimanded Harry instantly. "You zhouldn't speak of a lady like zat. Everywhere it iz considered bad manners"

"Hey, I am not talking about just any person" Harry protested. "I am talking about a friend of mine. It is just sheer coincidence that she is girl"

"Really?" Fleur questioned Harry. "We will 'ave to see about zat"

"See about what?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, we 'ave to go on our different ways from 'ere on. See you later 'arry" Fleur said and went away on her way even looking back.

"That's not fair" Harry said as he stood at the cross-section. "She didn't explain what she meant. Oh well, I have to go to my classes now"

**&&&&**

31'st October came and Hogwarts was full of excitement. The whole place was decorated with all the stuff that was usual for Halloween plus some extra additions had been made this year. But for Harry, this day was always the worst in a year since he had got to know the effect it had had on his life. As everyone was having breakfast at the table in the trunk, Tonks exchanged a glance with Remus who gave an acknowledging nod.

"Harry" Tonks said. "We know how tough it is for you today. Anything we can do for you today?"

"No Tonks" Harry said in a voice filled with sorrow like they had never heard of before. "I will have to fight out this day every year myself. No one can help me in this"

"We know Harry" Remus said. "But if you want us to do anything which would make you feel better then we would be pleased to do it"

With a rather heavy sigh, Harry began toying with his food again. This day brought many questions with it out of which the main question had been answered a few months ago by Dumbledore. Still, Harry had so many things to know about, so many things about...

"Remus, can you tell me about my parents?" Harry asked hopefully. Remus gave a weak smile and nodded.

**&&&&**

Harry entered the great hall in a much better mood than he had been in the morning. Getting to know about his parents and their antics from Remus had been a great thing for him and it felt like he had got back some of the missing years in his life. Tonks had also taken the day off and all three of them had spent time talking about all the good things about Harry's parents and Remus provided the much needed laughter by telling tales of James's naughty pranks on Lily.

The great hall was bustling with activity as Harry took his seat. He was greeted along the way by many nods and he duly acknowledged them. None of the Gryffindors tried to engage him into a chat as all knew that he had a lot on his mind today. Hermione and Ron seemed full of misery themselves as they couldn't be at Harry's side today but Harry avoided their looks as had become his habit.

As Harry took his seat, he noticed that Dumbledore was not present at the teachers table. This struck him as a little odd because, though Dumbledore had missed many a breakfast and lunch, he always made it a point to be there during dinner time. Thinking quickly Harry came to the conclusion that Dumbledore must be busy in some Order or Council business.

Soon after, McGonagall made the Halloween speech and a terrific feast appeared in front of all of them. As Harry started eating slowly he felt something in his mind. Quickly he strengthened in mind's defenses and looked around in alarm to see who was trying to penetrate in his mind. Snape seemed busy in a chat with McGonagall and that ruled him out of the picture. As an alert Harry looked around, he saw a smile plastered on the face of Malfoy as he seemed to be looking right into Harry. For a moment Harry contemplated whether Malfoy was trying to breach his mental defenses or not. But then Harry felt it.

Harry knew that none of the others could feel it – yet. But from his personal experience, he knew that it was just a matter of a few seconds till everyone detected the feeling. This time however, Harry was not very confident of how he will be able to fight against them because, from the sheer amount of stress his mind was in, he knew that this time around there were a lot of them. Maybe 5…maybe 10…maybe 100. But the time had come for everyone to face one of their worst fears apart from Voldemort.

Dementors.

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Ok guys, here's the 16'th chapter. I know it's late but just as my work pressure lessened, I got a severe bout of fever. Hence the delay.

Well, to all you Ron-Haters out there, I apologize. I don't hate him on impulse and I have tried a different approach with him. Hope you like that. Am I asking for too much? ;)

**The Dark Avenger** – All I can say is this wont be a H/G.

**hattuteline** – Thanks for your reviews. I would like to point out one thing though. Harry is not better than the aurors. Rather it is his speed which puts him in a different league. Another thing is that I believe Dobby is more important than we are led to believe. Since house-elves use a 'special' brand of magic which hasn't been described, I am going to exploit it fully. And about chapter 1 – well, all I have to say is that this is the first time I am EVER writing anything, so I needed a starting point. That's why it is the way it is.

**Stikye** - Interesting review. By the way, where is Carman San Deigo? :)

**TimGold** – Thanks for pointing out my mistake. Hopefully you liked this chapter.

**Avarie** – Thanks for your encouragement.

**To all those people whose names I don't mention here** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	17. Who Am I? Part II

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 17 - Who Am I? (Part II)**

But the time had come for everyone to face one of their worst fears apart from Voldemort.

Dementors.

**&&&&**

"What is he doing?" Ron whispered his question to Hermione. Hermione, who had been busy in a chat with Lavender, followed Ron's gaze and saw Harry walking towards the door of the great hall. Ron, who had noticed Harry get up on his feet a few moments ago, noticed Malfoy and his goons leaving the Great Hall in a hurry and knew for sure now that something bad was coming their way. As he and Hermione, along with many other students and teachers watched Harry, they noticed a certain stagger in his steps. It seemed like his feet were not exactly following his minds directions and he was making a struggle to walk to the door. All the teachers at the staff table had also turned to watch Harry by now and, in a matter of seconds, the whole hall had fallen silent and was looking towards Harry and wondering what had happened to him. Hermione looked at Ron and shrugged her shoulders to indicate she had no idea about what Harry was up to.

"Potter" the scathing voice of Snape broke the pin-drop silence, but even that couldn't get Harry to turn around. "If you are not thinking of leaving Hogwarts right now, then I suggest you get back to..." Snape's voice trailed off at this as he, along with all the others, felt it; or rather felt _them_.

"Hermione" Ron's voice sounded very fearful and it seemed to be quavering as he reached out to shake his girlfriend out of her stupor. "Do you feel anything? It's like..." Ron couldn't finish his sentence as he saw many people at the Gryffindor table looking around frantically. Hermione, who had turned to face Ron by now, gave an affirmative nod of her head and said in a whisper "Dementors". Both their faces seemed drained of any color and as they looked around they saw Neville clutching his head with both his hands as if he was trying to keep it in one piece. With each passing second, screams ensued in the Great Hall. It seemed like all the happiness in the world had been drained in just a matter of seconds.

"Listen everybody" McGonagall's voice was heard over all the screams. "Fourth years and below have to return to their towers RIGHT NOW. One member of the fifth year will escort them to their dormitories". No longer had this been said that almost all of the first to fourth year students started to make a beeline for the exit. The house heads quickly assigned a fifth year student to each of the groups and soon the hall was filled with the sound of scrambling footsteps.

"Fifth year onward students..." McGonagall called out again but everyone could make out the shakiness in her voice. "Those who know the patronus charm may remain here while the others are asked to go back to their towers NOW. Do not, I repeat, do not come out of your towers unless your house heads inform you that it is safe to do so. Please go now". As this statement was finished, more scrambling ensued and soon the Great Hall had around 70-odd occupants remaining, including the teachers.

McGonagall then focused her attention towards Harry who seemed to be oblivious of everything happening around him. "Harry...HARRY..." McGonagall cried out to no avail as Harry stood in front of the door, irresponsive to all the shouts and scrambling.

**&&&&**

"_They are here_" Harry thought to himself as he felt the presence of the dementors before anyone else. Everyone knew that dementors affected Harry more than it did the others and Dumbledore had explained to Harry that it might be due to his traumatic past. To tell the truth, Harry didn't care about his past anymore. All he knew was that a person named Voldemort had killed his parents and was also responsible for Sirius's death and he had to take revenge. But even though Harry didn't care too much, his parent's death scene was something which was flashed in his memory every time dementors were nearby. As Harry glanced around, he noticed Neville squirming around his seat in obvious discomfort and knew that his own past could be matched only by Neville's, though Neville's present was far worse than Harry's own.

Harry didn't know what it was but, all of a sudden, he let his mental defenses down and felt himself drowning in the images of his parent's death. Maybe it was his own selfish self which wanted to see his parents again, even when they were dying, or maybe it was because he wasn't strong enough to hold his mental barrier against the combined forces of so many dementors in the vicinity. Whatever the reason may be, he knew he didn't want his mind to be protected against his fears. He had been running from his fears for too long and it was time for him to take stock and face the fear he feared most - fear itself.

Harry's vision was somewhat blurred as he got up from his seat and headed towards the door of the Great Hall in a daze. He had a hunch that the dementors would come through the main door and he moved towards the door, albeit a bit limply. The nearer he came towards the door, the better his vision got - the vision of seeing his parents die.

Harry saw his mother crying in front of him and could almost feel her locks falling across his face. He heard her mother muttering the all too familiar words to his father who went on to take on Voldemort. The child Harry was now crying very hard along with his mother and Harry felt like he would break down into tears himself. His mother carried him to another room but there was no escape from the red-eyed demon. His mother's begging, pleading, crying, everything fell on deaf ears.

Harry had never seen the worst night in his life so clearly and, now that he could see it, he felt as if everything was happening before him once again. He saw Voldemort raising his wand to curse his mother and he lunged forward to take away his wand. Even though it was just a vision, Harry felt himself taking a step forward in real life too. Alas, his outstretched hand couldn't reach the wand. He tried to push his mother out of the way but he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his mother falling dead before him, again. He tried to grab hold of her as she fell, to soften the impact, to give her some comfort even in death but she seemed to fall straight through his arms and hit the floor with a sickening thud. Harry couldn't believe that he had missed his mother completely; that he couldn't lessen her pain even in death. With mixed feelings, he looked back towards the demon who had raised his wand again and...

"HARRY" someone seemed to be calling to him as Harry felt like he was at two places at the same time. All of a sudden, a flash of green light seemed to be coming towards him and, subconsciously, Harry stepped out of the way to avoid getting hit. It was then that his vision became slightly more focused and he realized that he still had his right hand stretched in front of him. Slowly he turned around, his eyes still focused on his outstretched right hand and he became face-to-face with the others present. If he had looked around, he would have seen the fear in everyone's eyes and the way everyone was latching on to something to prevent themselves from screaming out.

Harry stood by the door for quite a few moments while his mind kept playing back the scene of his mother falling through his arms again and again and he felt a tear slide down his face. It just wasn't enough for him to be the cause of his parent's death; rather, he had also been unable to give his mother even the remotest comfort in her death. Slowly his hand went out of vision and darkness surrounded him.

**&&&&**

Hermione had gone over to Neville when all the students were scurrying back to their dormitories and when she reached Neville; she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Neville looked up to see who it was and tried disastrously to smile at Hermione. Hermione, who had been thinking of saying something to him, instantly stopped. One look at the face of the chubby boy was enough to convey what kind of feelings he might be having.

As Hermione looked around, she saw people doing weird things to keep their thoughts in control. She had seen loads of children crying as they had been going out of the Great Hall but now the scene was very different. Yes, some people were sobbing as their worst fears were being replayed constantly in their minds but some of those present were banging their hands on the tables as their happy feelings were getting drained. One of the extreme cases Hermione saw was that of Ron banging his head on the Gryffindor table. Almost all of the D.A. was present in the hall along with some additional students and the teachers. Amongst the teachers, Snape was the one who looked to be better off than the other teachers and Hermione attributed this to the fact that Snape was a master Occulmen. After all, if a dementor couldn't penetrate into someone's mind then they would have no effect on anyone.

Slowly but steadily, Hermione was also starting to think that banging her head on the table would be a better option than to wait for the dementors. All she could now think of was how the world will be if her parents, Ron, Harry and everyone else was dead and she was left face to face with Voldemort. From a certain angle this was a slight improvement because she didn't fear her not getting the top marks as she used to but still, fear was fear. Whether it was regarding one thing or the other, it always managed to make you think of bad things and make you feel miserable. Hermione wasn't even aware of her hand being placed on Neville's shoulder when she heard McGonagall calling out Harry's name. In the midst of her fears, Hermione had almost forgotten about Harry and now she turned to look at the boy whom she still considered one of her two best friends.

Harry looked odd. Yes, odd was the word which came to Hermione's mind the instant she laid her eyes on him again. Harry had slowly turned around when McGonagall had called out to him but he seemed like he was in some kind of dream or in an altogether different world. His eyes had a faraway look but at the same time they were focused on his outstretched hand. For some reason, Hermione thought that Harry was more relaxed than usual when faced with dementors. He seemed to be almost lost in some kind of dream and he didn't seem to be screaming out the way many others were doing now. Even though Harry had her full attention, out of the corner of her eyes she noticed a tall, petite figure rushing towards Harry. All of a sudden, Harry collapsed but he did not hit the floor. Fleur Delacour had caught him just before the impact.

"Somebody 'elp me" Fleur gave a shout as she caught hold of the limp figure. Fleur herself seemed to be under a lot of stress and her reactions were almost hysterical in a sense. Almost instantly, Neville and Cho rushed towards Harry and carried him to a room beside the hall. Ron, who had tried to rush to Harry's help, was held back by Hermione.

"Why did you do that?" Ron hissed at Hermione.

"Ron..." Hermione said with an embarrassed look on her face. "There are many people here to help him and he wants to stay away from us. Let him be. We are always there for him if no one comes". Ron gave a glare in reply and looked away.

"Everybody, listen carefully" McGonagall said in a slightly croaked voice. "If we have any chance of surviving then we have to take them head on or else we will lose our minds even if the barrier of the castle is between us. Are you all ready?" Several nods came in reply though none of them seemed to be too reassuring to the transfiguration teacher. With a nod of her own in reply, McGonagall approached the door and muttered a spell causing the door to open. As the door opened, everyone felt a chill going down their very spines, a chill like one they had never felt before. All the happiness in their worlds seemed to have been sucked away in a split second as the door opened up. Fleur, Neville and Cho rushed out to join the others at the doorway, all the while wondering what had made all the others to almost freeze in their places. When they joined the others, they too froze in their places just by looking at the scene in front of them. Outside stood what seemed to be endless number of dementors and more seemed to be joining them with each passing second.

**&&&&**

Harry was again walking down a great white hall without boundaries. Somehow he felt better at the thought that he might see his parents again. He walked on and on for what seemed to be a long time and finally was able to see some familiar faces waving their arms to him.

"Hi son" Harry's father greeted him. "I can feel that you are not ok"

"Yes father" Harry replied, his eyes looking at their feet in shame. "I...I..."

"It was not your fault Harry" Lily Potter spoke up as she seemed to have read his mind. "Don't blame yourself for it"

"But mom..." Harry choked for a moment as he looked up to face his mom. "...I was there. This time I was there and I could have saved you. But..."

"It's the past, honey" Lily replied. "You could have done nothing"

"Why not?" Harry questioned before shouting at his parents for what would be the first time in his life. "WHY THE HELL COULDN'T I EVEN TOUCH YOU? WHY COULDN'T I EVEN HOLD YOU AS YOUR LAST BREATH LEFT YOUR BODY? WHY MOM, WHY?"

Lily looked sadly at Harry as she guessed that he was passing through a terrible experience. It pained her to see her son in such a state. After a long moment, she spoke again "Because you were not there. Harry, try to understand this once and for all. You cannot change the past and that was the reason you couldn't touch me" Lily had tears in her eyes as she told this. "Because you were not there in the first place"

"But I was there mom" Harry protested.

"Yes, you were there as a child and not as what you saw in your memory today" James corrected the misunderstanding. "Son, you cannot live with sad memories all your life. Your past memories are making your present life vague"

"Sorry father" Harry apologized. "It's just that...that I wanted to see you guys again. I miss you all and I wanted to see you even when you were..." Harry couldn't finish his sentence as tears started flowing from his eyes.

"Dying?" Sirius finished the sentence for Harry. "No Harry, we are not dead. Physically yes but we continue to live on in your heart"

"THAT IS A LIE" Harry cried out amidst his tears. "EVERYONE SAYS THIS KIND OF THING. I AM NOT A KID ANYMORE WHO WILL BUY THOSE KIND OF STORIES"

"And do you think everyone is wrong son?" James questioned Harry. "Do you think everyone is wrong and you are the only one who is right?"

Harry looked at his father in a surprised manner as he couldn't understand the real meaning behind his words. There could be a thousand interpretations of his father's words and he didn't know what his father was actually implying.

"I don't know" Harry said meekly. "I miss you guys, that's all I know and that's all I care about"

"Really honey?" Lily questioned her son. "You mean you don't care about _them_?" She asked once more as she pointed towards a space which was now shining a bright golden color. Instantly Harry covered his eyes but slowly got used to the brightness. As he looked on, he saw some familiar faces approaching him - faces of Ron and Hermione.

"NO!" Harry cried out. "How...how could..."

"Son" James said gravely. "Your friends need you. It is up to you to decide whether you want to help them or not". Harry looked at his dad who had a very serious expression on his face. Yes, Harry knew that it was his choice and he had to take a decision. He had to make a choice - now.

**&&&&**

"EXPECTO PATRONUM" three dozen voices cried out for what seemed to be the umpteenth time but many of the patronuses never materialized as they just couldn't gather enough happy thoughts. Neville looked on in surprise as only a thin whitish vapor came out of his wand while Cho's patronus didn't seem to last for more than a few seconds. Ron, Hermione and many others had already become unconscious and had been carried inside but no one in the castle was able to avoid the onslaught of the dementor attack. Screams could be heard from all over the place as people seemed to have lost all their happiness. All they could think of now was death.

Malfoy and his two bodyguards were sitting smugly in their dormitory room. His father had informed him of the impending attack and had sent him a special potion which would help him protect his mind from the dementors for around an hour. Along with the potion, a note had also reached him asking him to not disclose the existence of the potion to anyone else. Malfoy was only too happy to keep the secret to himself but what he didn't know was that the potion had been invented very recently by a death eater and the ministry still didn't know about it. He had even given Crabbe and Goyle a bit of the potion but knew that such a small amount's effect will wear out with 20 minutes time. 10 minutes, in his opinion, was long enough for everything to be over and done with and it had already been 5 minutes since the Great Hall doors had been thrown open.

**&&&&**

"What..." Harry looked slightly dazed as he raised himself into a sitting position. He was wondering where he was when he vaguely remembered his vision and the subsequent unconsciousness. As he tried to understand where he was, the sickening feeling hit him again. Screams could be heard from everywhere around him and he understood that he was in a room adjacent to the Great Hall. As he scrambled back to his feet, he felt the presence of more people in the room. Looking around, he saw the unconscious bodies of Ron, Hermione, Ginny and many others of the D.A.

Harry stood blinking hard for a moment even though his mind seemed to be in tatters. The scene of his parent's death was once again playing over again and again but he knew it was the past and he had to help others - those others who made up his present. As he looked on, he knew that he just couldn't let his friends slip away in front of him. At that moment, Fleur came running in with the unconscious body of Neville floating in front of him.

"Oh Harry, you are conscious now" Fleur said with obvious relief but Harry didn't seem to be hearing her. He felt a kind of fury building inside him as he watched the body of Neville lying in front of him. Neville, Ron, Hermione, Ginny - weren't they the one's for whom he cared so much? Weren't they the people whom he had pushed away so that they could be safer? Weren't they the one's who were lying in front of him in a battered state of mind with the possibility of dying? Harry was feeling terrible himself and he wanted to scream out but somewhere deep down he felt another feeling stir. He was reliving his worst moments but now, he felt as if a volcano of anger was starting to build inside him. He didn't know what was making him so angry but all of a sudden, he was angry with all the people around himself. Slowly he understood that anger was not the right word, rather the word which could describe his true feelings was 'hate'.

Harry hated everyone who was anyone. Harry turned towards Fleur who was trying to convey something to him but all he saw were her lips moving. As his gaze met that of Fleur, he saw that her lips stopped their movement and her eyes were filled with...fear. And the fact was that he liked that look. He hated Fleur, he hated Ron, he hated Hermione, he hated everyone in the wizarding world which had torn him away from his parents but most of all, he hated the dementors. He hated them with a passion he had never felt before and it surpassed even his passion for quidditch by a long mile. Without making any sound and with a look in his eyes which could strike fear in even Dumbledore, Harry left the room.

**&&&&**

Fleur came running in the room adjacent to the Great Hall to lay down another unconscious victim but what she had not expected was that one of the victims would be wide awake.

Oh Harry, you are conscious now" Fleur said in relief. She knew that the dementors had gained the upper hand within minutes and it was just a matter of time before everyone was either unconscious or had lost their minds. From what she had guessed, around 150 to 200 dementors had attacked the castle and the effect caused by them was beyond imagination. For a moment she had thought that the final attack on Hogwarts had begun but had later understood that only dementors were present. At least they didn't have to deal with death eaters which, in her opinion, would have made this the battle of their lives. But she had been wrong. This _had_ become the battle of their lives and she was hoping that some kind of miracle would happen and Dumbledore would return. But alas, no such thing had happened till now.

Now, on seeing a conscious Harry, she had hope again. She knew that Harry was special, had always been special and somewhere deep down, she knew that Harry could somehow save them. It was just like him being a superhero in the wizarding world who would always save the day. Everyone had hope in their eyes while Harry was on his two feet with a wand in his hand and Fleur was no different.

"Harry, it's terrible out there" Fleur said as she saw Harry looking at the body of Neville. "We need you out there too. We have to..." Fleur gasped as she saw Harry look at her. There was something in his eyes which she had never seen before. It was a look of pure, undiluted hate and absolute loathing. For the first time in her life, Fleur feared Harry, maybe as much as she feared You-Know-Who. She held her breath as Harry gave her one last look before walking out of the room, his expression intact.

**&&&&**

Harry looked around the Great Hall as he made his way towards the doorway. The hall seemed a mess in a lot of ways and even the house-elves had not been able to clean it. But this didn't matter to him anymore. He hated house-elves and whether they did their job or not, they still deserved to be hated. As Harry reached the doorway, he saw his teachers sending patronuses on their way but to no avail. The dementors did not make any move to approach anyone as their sheer number was enough to draw out all the happiness out of each person around Hogwarts. Harry knew that the effect of the dementors could be felt in Hogsmeade too and it would be a matter of minutes before aurors arrived. But could all the ministries aurors handle an army of dementors?

As Harry thought about this, a voice called out from somewhere, a voice filled with loathing "C'mon Potter, use your famous patronus". Harry closed his eyes for a moment as each and every moment of Snape's torture classes went through his memory, not because he wanted to remember them but because the dementors made him do it. As he opened his eyes, he knew that he hated Snape as much as Pettigrew. He hated Snape and everything about him. Slowly he peered into the eyes of his potions teacher, his jaws set firmly, and he was happy to see one thing - Snape looked afraid. He kept glaring at Snape but, to his disappointment, saw Snape turn away and cast the patronus charm again but the dementors seemed unaffected.

Dementors. They were the thing Harry hated the most. They made him relive every moment of his parents death. They made him hear that evil shrill laughter again and again. They made him hope that his life had ended 16 years ago on this night. They made him see his friend's unconscious, maybe even on their death-beds. They made his life hell.

Harry didn't know how it was happening but slowly, all his fears were draining away, replaced only by an intense hatred towards the dementors. He hated them with every inch of his living tissue and he wanted to kill them. He wanted to take off their hoods and grab hold of their mouths and tear them apart. He wanted to leviate their bodies high up in the air and then drop them on spikes. He wanted revenge.

Revenge. This was the word which kept going through his mind as he took a step forward. Keeping his eyes focused on the nearest dementor, which was about a hundred feet away, Harry made his way past his teachers. He heard many people calling out to him but they didn't matter. No one mattered anymore. All he wanted was to cause immense pain to these dementors, pain which would be nothing compared to what they could cause to others, pain which would make Voldemort's cruciatus seem like a mere pin. Someone caught hold of one of his arms but he freed himself with a violent jerk. He heard the sound of body hitting the ground but he didn't care about it.

Harry had covered half the distance between the dementor and himself when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw other dementors starting to encircle him. He felt a greater stress on his mind as the dementors started to concentrate their powers on him but this only managed to increase the loathing he had for these slimy creatures. Though he didn't know exactly how he would extract his revenge, he kept on walking until he was only 20 feet from his initial target. He stopped and glanced around for a moment and saw that he was in the middle of a circle of dementors. Harry's lips curled up in the most horrendous smile possible as he wondered what these dementors could take from him. At most, he would lose his soul but that also didn't matter anymore. He hated these creatures and today they would have to pay. One way or the other, he was going to make them pay and for the first time that evening Harry took out his wand.

**&&&&**

It took Fleur quite a few deep breaths before she could think logically again after Harry had left the room. After recovering, she rushed out of the room and into the Great Hall. As she made her way towards the doorway of the hall, she noticed an odd looking elf bouncing around nervously but without giving too much thought to it, she proceeded onwards. As she reached the doorway, she saw a spine-chilling scene - Harry Potter seemed to be making his way towards the dementors.

She stood stunned for a moment as she looked at the young boy making his way down the stairs with apparent ease while the others were having great difficulties in maintaining their mental stability. She heard McGonagall, Flitwick and the other teachers calling out to Harry but he seemed to hear none of them. Seeing no other way, Fleur took off at top speed towards Harry and, on reaching him, caught hold of his right arm.

"GET BACK HARRY" Fleur shouted but Harry still didn't seem to hear her. Even though she was using every bit of her will-power to keep herself conscious and sane, she just couldn't let go of Harry. She raised her wand to try to stun him but was thwarted as Harry gave a fierce jerk of his hand which caused her to stumble backwards. She couldn't keep her balance and fell and the last thing she knew was an immense pain in her head as darkness cast its veil on her.

**&&&&**

"You want a piece of me?" Harry asked with a smile, a smile which made even the dementors doubt his real intentions. "What can you take from me? Tell me...tell me WHAT THE HELL CAN YOU TAKE FROM ME?" Harry shouted at all the dementors around him. For some reason, none of the dementors came nearer to him but Harry didn't fail to notice this fact.

"Don't have anything else to take from me, do you?" Harry asked again. "I - have - no - happy - feelings - in - me - anymore" He said slowly as if he was trying to tell a bunch of kids that he didn't have any more toffees to give them. His face then broke into a maniacal smile and he spread his arms and said in a sing-song tone "See, I have nothing to give you anymore". As he looked around, his expression changed to one of pity. "Ahhhh...I have disappointed all of you. Bad Harry. I am sooo sorry. But..." Harry's sing-song tone was back again "...but I have my soul". With the maniacal look back in place, Harry continued his speech "Don't you want it? Ooooo...why not? You can have it if you want". As he noticed that none of the dementors made any move forward, the volcano of anger inside him burst.

"_Reducto_""_Humus Fragosus_""_Electriano Claustrum_". Spells started coming out of Harry's wands at lightning speeds but they didn't seem to make much of a difference to the dementors. After having sent a hail of spells into the dementors, Harry shouted at them "C'MON, I AM HERE. WHY DON'T YOU TAKE ME?"

At Harry's this statement, one of the dementor started to glide in slowly followed by another. Harry saw that all the dementors were slowly starting to close in and, seeing this, his eyes began to get a maniacal shine in them. His anger, which had subdued a bit after throwing so many spells at the dementors, was back in its place and so was the feeling of intense hatred. He was going to go down at last and he wanted to take at least one of them with him. Looking around, with his lips curled up in a sinister sneer, Harry raised his wand and cast a spell almost sub-consciously and without thinking "_Perosus__ Infinitus_". A jet of the blackest black light sped towards the nearest dementor.

**&&&&**

All the teachers were on tenterhooks as they saw that dementors had surrounded Harry. Madam Pomfrey had the good sense to rescue Fleur from where she had fallen down but the others stood rooted in their places as they heard some of Harry's shouts. Just as Snape's mouth had curled up in an evil grin, all of the teachers and the remaining students present there saw a jet of black light emitting from Harry's wand. The scene which followed evoked a frightened response from McGonagall which echoed other's sentiments too.

"What the hell is Potter doing?"

**&&&&**

Dobby had been cooking dinner for Tonks and Remus when he had felt _them_. He was afraid, very afraid. These creatures made him think bad thoughts and Dobby hated them for it. But what was even more frightening for him was that Harry was outside and more vulnerable to dementor attacks. For a moment Dobby thought about searching Tonks or Remus, both of whom had left on some urgent Order mission, but then he realized that he might get caught in some other mess. If he couldn't get Tonks or Remus back with him in time, then he could end up losing his dear friend and he couldn't let that happen. Turning off the gas, Dobby popped straight into the kitchen below the Great Hall and found that it was empty. He knew that all the elf's must have gone back to their quarters and, to tell the truth, if Harry had not been out there, he too would have snuggled up in a corner of the trunk and laid low until the dementors had left. Dobby quickly popped into the Great Hall itself and found it in shambles with food and water spread on the floor.

Looking around, Dobby saw the professors and some of Harry's friends fighting with the dementors. He was quite relieved for a moment in not seeing Harry around but then panic started to creep in. If Harry was not here, then where was he? He was lost in thought when one of the professors came inside with the unconscious body of Neville and a few moments later he heard the all too familiar footsteps. Dobby was relieved to hear those sounds but his relief vanished the moment he saw the hatred in the eyes of Harry. Was this the Harry Potter he knew? Or was it...?

Dobby didn't know what to do and cursed himself loudly for not going to either Tonks or Remus. He started popping around in nervousness when the same professor passed him once again but this time she glanced at him oddly. He didn't care whether he looked odd or not, whether the others would treat him like dirt or not but what he did care about was Harry's well-being. He just couldn't let Harry become like _them_. In a few more moments Dobby's nervous bouncing stopped and, with a grim expression on his face, he went outside to face what fate had in store for him.

**&&&&**

"What the hell?" a part of Harry wanted to know what was happening but his dominant part wanted to enjoy the show. After all, he had never been able to hurt a dementor before.

Harry did not know how he was doing it but his subconscious mind had forced him to cast the _Hate Charm_ which he had never been able to cast in the class. In fact, if he remembered correctly, Professor Flitwick had stated that the charm was almost impossible to perform by most of the light wizards as it required an extreme feeling of hate. So much so that even Dumbledore was incapable of casting it. But Harry didn't care about all this stuff. He held his wand steady and kept the black light focused on his 'victim'. He wanted revenge and today he was going to get it.

Harry had a look of utter glee as he heard strange noises coming from the dementor, which he guessed was their way of screaming. It felt good, that was all he could say to himself. The dementor in front of him was almost in a kneeling position and Harry, though he couldn't explain how, knew that it was feeling pain beyond anything it had known before. The smile on his face widened as the dementors slowly started to glide away from Harry's victim.

"Oh no, you don't..." Harry said, shaking his head and casting his glance at some of the other dementors present. With the maniacal look still in his eyes, he said "No one gets out of here alive". Harry knew he now had a weapon against the dementors even though he didn't know how the hate charm affected them. Now that he had a weapon, he was not going to let it go easily. He broke the spell on his current victim and looked around at all the dementors while he kept on thinking about how much he hated them. And how much he hated everybody else too. With every passing moment, the feeling of hatred grew in him and, all of a sudden, he knew he had had enough. These creatures had to be wiped off the earth along with others. Licking his lips, he raised his wand again.

"_Perosus__ Infinitus_" Harry cried out, whipping his wand in a complete circle and bending his back while doing it. Wave after wave of black light went into the throngs of the dementors present and a series of cries filled up in the air.

**&&&&**

"Oh my god, what is Potter doing?" Professor Flitwick said in a whisper, both fear and awe filling his voice. He, along with the others, could feel the effects of the hate charm as their hearts seemed to become filled with hate for the others. The effect of a mild hate charm on wizards and witches were known but this was the first time such a huge velocity hate charm had been felt by any of them. Also, this was the first time Flitwick was seeing the effect of the charm on dementors

"Somebody has to stop him" McGonagall replied with great difficulty. She couldn't believe how Harry was able to produce such a hate charm but, on the bright side, all the effects of the dementors seemed to be vanishing along with the coldness in the environment.

"SOMEBODY STOP THAT KID" Snape bellowed and seemed to be losing his composure for the first time that evening. All he needed was another of Harry's abilities to make him 'special'.

**&&&&**

Harry enjoyed hearing the unique screams of the dementors. The dementors were screaming now and the next in line would be Voldemort. After that there would be others, including the wizards and witches in Hogwarts. He felt the maniacal anger grow even more and felt a part of himself laughing madly at what was happening. Yes, he would fulfill his destiny in a way no one could have imagined.

"Harry Potter is stopping now" a tiny, but stubborn voice was heard by Harry which broke both his concentration and the spell. Looking downwards, he saw Dobby standing in front of him.

"Get out of here elf..." Harry said in an angry voice "...or else you will understand what I can do to you"

Dobby seemed a bit taken aback at being called an 'elf' by Harry but he didn't stop. "Harry Potter is listening to Dobby. Dobby is not letting Harry Potter cast this spell anymore"

"I - said - get - out" Harry said through gritted teeth. This elf seemed to be getting on his nerves and the dementors seemed to be retreating in the meantime.

"DOBBY IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE" Dobby screamed at Harry for the first time in his life. "Harry Potter had said to Dobby to stop him when he is doing wrong. Harry Potter is doing wrong now"

"Am I?" Harry said with an evil grin and whipped his wand around to point it at Dobby. "Who do you think you are?"

"Dobby is Harry Potter's friend" Dobby said in a loud voice. He had to get Harry out of the mindset he was currently in. "Has Harry Potter forgotten about his friends? Has Harry Potter forgotten about his Dobby, his werewolf and his Tonkie?"

"ENOUGH" Harry shouted. "One more word and I will hurt you real bad"

"Has Harry Potter forgotten his parents?" Dobby continued with defiance in his voice. "Has Harry Potter forgotten about his godfather?" Hearing this, Harry seemed to subdue a bit. His parents and Sirius had meant a lot to him. They were the ones who had been torn away from him by Voldemort and he wanted revenge for it. As he thought about revenge, the look in his eyes seemed to be coming back and Dobby knew he had to do something.

"Harry Potter is not harming anyone. Harry Potter is good and he cannot let his bad side overtake his good side. This is not what Harry Potter's parents wanted him to be"

At the mention of his parents, Harry's eyes seemed to slightly get back to their normal look. What was he doing? He was trying to kill the dementors but they had never tried to harm him intentionally. Whenever they did anything, it was based on the orders of someone else. No, he couldn't harm them.

"Harry Potter is a good wizard. He is the greatest wizard on earth but he is seeking revenge from the wrong things. Harry Potter's destiny is to face big bad dark wizard" Dobby said this in a very fearful voice. He never wanted to even think about Voldemort but for Harry, he was ready to do so.

"I...shouldn't...harm...". Harry felt as if a ray of light seemed to be emitting from somewhere deep inside him. No, he couldn't harm the wizarding people. He didn't want to harm them but yet, just a few minutes back, he had wanted to wipe off all these people from the face of the earth. Whether he had the ability to do so or not was not the question but the main point here was about his intentions. Did he really want to destroy others?

"Harry Potter is good and he is not wanting to harm others" Dobby said in a consoling voice, as if he could almost read Harry's mind. "Dobby is wanting his friend back". Dobby could see that Harry was returning to his normal self and he had to do all he could to get his friend back.

"Dobby..." Harry said in a whisper as he looked down at the elf in front of him again. Falling to his knees, he realized that this was not just any elf but rather, it was his friend Dobby. How could he threaten Dobby? How could he even think about it? How could...

Harry couldn't finish his thoughts as he collapsed for the second time that night.

**&&&&**

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked as he arrived at the door of the hall. He had finally got an owl sent by a staff member and Fawkes had helped him get back. The grounds in front of Hogwarts were clear of the dementors now but a chill was still present in the air. All he could see was Harry standing in the middle of the ground and talking to Dobby.

"Potter tried to act the hero again" Snape gave his 'briefing' to the headmaster but didn't meet his gaze. He was very thoughtful about what had happened before his eyes and he knew that the dark lord would get to know about it. Just one more of Potter's abilities which would make the dark lord extra cautious and more difficult to defeat, Snape thought grimly.

"Someone, get him out of there" McGonagall said in a weak voice as she slumped to the ground in exhaustion. The evening had been a very stressful one to say the least.

Madam Pomfrey was about to rush out to help Harry, who seemed to be talking to an elf, when a reassuring hand stopped her. Looking around, she saw Dumbledore holding her back.

"Harry needs to talk with someone" Dumbledore said to her. "Leave him alone and Dobby will take care of him". With that, Dumbledore returned to his office. He had a lot of talking to do with the aurors who were turning up now and also, he wanted to have a Council and Order meeting as soon as possible.

**&&&&**

"Harry Potter is not well" Dobby said to a hysterical Tonks when she arrived back at the trunk to find Harry unconscious. Remus was yet to return and Tonks seemed to be at her wits ends.

"What happened? Tell me fast" Tonks asked. Dobby proceeded to tell her about the dementor attack and Harry's subsequent use of the hate charm and what happened thereafter. Tonks listened to him in absolute shock and almost a minute after Dobby had stopped speaking that she realized that Dobby had become silent.

"He called you an 'elf'?" Tonks asked in shock. If anyone else had called Dobby an elf, she would have thought nothing about it but if Harry did so then it was a matter of concern to her. Dobby did not reply to her and she understood that he was very sad at being addressed like that by Harry. After all, he never expected anything less than the best from Harry.

"Oh Dobby, I don't think he meant it" Tonks said to the sad elf in front of her. "Don't worry; as soon as he gets up I will scold him"

"Harry Potter's Tonkie is going to do nothing like that" Dobby retorted. "Harry Potter has done a lot for Dobby and Dobby does not expect anything more"

"But what if Harry Potter is angry with himself for calling his Dobby an elf?" came a weak voice from behind.

"HARRY POTTER IS OK" Dobby squealed in delight as he saw the wizard approaching the two figures sitting on the couch. "Dobby is so happy"

"But I am not" Harry said. "Dobby..." Harry said with a sad face as he fell to his knees and looked straight into the little elf's eyes "...can you forgive me for my mistake today? I beg you"

Dobby looked at Harry with moist eyes and opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He was just too emotional at the moment, not only because that no wizard had ever apologized to an elf, but also that Harry seemed fine again. Finally, Dobby said "Harry Potter is the best wizard in the whole world. Dobby is too small to be able to judge him. But what Dobby is knowing is that Dobby is loving his friend". With that, Dobby embraced Harry and started to sob uncontrollably on his shoulders. Harry felt the love which this little creature had for him and felt very guilty about how he had treated Dobby that night. Finally when Dobby let go, Harry felt a relief when he saw the toothy grin back in place.

"Dobby..." Harry said finally. "...remember one thing. No matter wherever I am, no matter whatever state I am in, you will always be my friend". Dobby gave another nod and, just as the dam in his eyes was on the point of bursting once more, he popped away to his room. With a sigh, Harry got up from where he had been kneeling and slumped into the couch beside Tonks.

"Harry, what happened?" Tonks asked finally.

"Uh..." Harry seemed a bit startled as he was brought out of his thoughts. "Did you say something?"

"I asked what happened today" Tonks repeated. The expression on the face of Harry took a turn for the worse as the memories of a period of 7-8 minutes of that night seemed to come back in his mind. With a shrug of his shoulders, he said "I don't know". Tonks remained silent at this as she saw Harry contemplating something and decided that if Harry wanted to talk about it then he will; otherwise she won't force him to talk.

"You know Tonks..." Harry said after a long while "...I could feel the dementors before anyone else. I could have run away to some secluded corner of the castle where their effect would have been lesser but...I didn't. I don't know why I did it"

"Did what?" Tonks asked as she got no further response from Harry.

"I let my mental shields down" Harry said in a sad voice. Tonks looked horrified at this because she knew that dementors had an extreme effect on Harry but Harry didn't notice her look as his gaze remained fixed on the ceiling.

"I wanted to see them again" Harry said slowly with a faraway look in his eyes. "You remember about what happens to me when dementors are nearby, right?" It was more of a statement than a question. "I wanted to see my parents again. I just wanted to see them no matter in what condition they were. And I saw them". A smile broke out on his face as he said this but Tonks saw that it was not a happy smile. It was a very sad one to say the least. "I saw my mom die all over again". A single tear trickled down his face as he recounted the scene. "I couldn't help her. Not now, not anymore". Harry gave a deep sigh as he said this.

"Then?" Tonks prompted Harry a little bit as she was unsure whether Harry would want to continue or not. She knew that sharing some problems lessened the pain but some things are such that they cannot be shared with anyone. She waited patiently for Harry to either continue or to say that he didn't want to talk.

"Then..." Harry said slowly after a couple of seconds had passed. "...then I saw my friends. They needed my help. I can no longer help my parents but I could help them". Pausing for a few more seconds, Harry said in a whisper "Mom, dad and Sirius wouldn't have liked me to run away when my friends needed my help, would they?"

"I think not" Tonks replied.

"You know what..." Harry suddenly sprung up on his seat and seemed very excited. Tonks also noticed that his eyes had a strange sparkle in them. "...I was able to help them. I was angry with the dementors. I wanted to save the others from the dementors..." Harry paused to think for a moment before saying "...No, I didn't want to save the others from the dementors. I just wanted to hurt them. Yeah..." a smile broke out on Harry's face and he continued even faster. "You know Tonks, I wanted to tear them apart. Ha! Have you ever thought about how they would look that way? I wanted to hurt them real bad"

Tonks looked slightly stunned at all this. Harry seemed to be talking with so much enthusiasm and yet he was talking about hurting dementors. Yes, Harry never liked them and neither did she but Harry seemed very happy about torturing them and this was very unusual for him.

"You know..." Harry said in a whisper as he cast a glance around to check that they were all alone. "...You know, I did hurt them and it was real bad. No...not for me, it was bad for them. It was so much fun. They felt pain Tonks, they felt pain. I mean, they must have been begging for mercy but..." Harry's rose from his seat and spoke in a majestic voice "...but Harry Potter shows no mercy". With this he started to have a fit of laughter.

"Stop this Harry" Tonks said sternly as she realized that Harry was talking hysterically.

"But you haven't heard the fun part yet" Harry replied. "Don't say this to anyone..." Harry had taken his seat and was speaking in a whisper again "...I wanted to hurt everybody. I mean, I wanted to hurt all the people in this world, all the elves, everyone and I can hurt them. I know I can". With this Harry started to giggle somewhat like a 5-year old child.

"STOP IT" Tonks shouted at Harry. Even though he was hysterical, he sounded very sane. At the sound of Tonks's shouts, Harry quitened down and looked very guilty.

"Tonks, am I bad?" Harry questioned her like a child who had done something wrong. Tonks was about to reply when Harry spoke again. "I mean, am I like Voldemort? Ahh, let me tell you..." that fanatical glee was back in Harry's eyes. "When those dementors were all shrieking, I knew I could be better than Voldemort. I could defeat him and then...then...I would kill everyone. Everyone who has caused pain to me over the years". Realizing he had made some kind of a mistake, Harry added quickly "No...no...I won't kill you or Remus or Dobby or my friends but everyone else. Then Lord Harry Potter would rise". With that, Harry rose from his seat and spread his arms like a king acknowledging the crowd. "Lord Harry Potter would rule everyone..."

"I said STOP IT"

"And Lord Harry Potter will kill anyone who causes pain to him and he..."

SLAP!

A resounding sound echoed through the room as a furious and concerned Tonks slapped Harry with all her force. Tonks had put so much force into her blow that Harry lost his balance and fell, coming to a stop only after skidding a feet on the slippery floor. As a heavily breathing Tonks looked on in astonishment at her own action, she saw the figure on the floor curling up and shaking. Concerned, Tonks took a step forward and bent down beside Harry and tugged at his arms to find him sobbing uncontrollably.

"I am so sorry Harry" Tonks said with tears in her eyes. "I didn't mean to hit you. You were not stopping and I had to do something and..."

"Am I bad Tonks?" Harry asked Tonks in between hiccups. "Am I becoming like Voldemort?"

Tonks looked at the wide, innocent looking eyes of the kid in front of her and her heart went out to him. "No Harry" Tonks reassured him as she took hold of one of his hands. "You are not bad". Instead of calming down, Harry's broke down completely.

"But I wanted to harm them Tonks" Harry said forcefully, hell bent on proving that he was becoming like Voldemort. "I wanted to harm others too. I called Dobby an...an...elf. I didn't even call him by his name Tonks. How can I not be bad?" Harry asked as he looked up at Tonks who was silently shedding tears of her own. As Tonks looked at the helpless looking figure in front of her, the same questions got raised in her mind again - Why did everything have to happen to Harry? And if every bad thing seemed to happen to him then why did he have a conscience?

"No Harry...No...No...you shouldn't cry like that. You are a big boy now, right?" Harry nodded in reply but couldn't stop his tears. A few minutes earlier he had giggled like a 5-year old boy and now, he was crying like one.

"I know I am becoming bad" Harry whispered with a nod of his head. "I don't talk to my friends, I had kept secrets from you...I am bad...very bad"

"No Harry" Tonks said as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "You did what was right"

"You are just saying that to make me feel better. I know I am not doing the right things. In trying to destroy Voldemort, I might end up like him. Will you hate me if I become like him?" Harry asked Tonks with fear in his eyes. What if everyone in this world started hating him?

"You are not becoming like him. And we will always love you" Tonks replied truthfully.

"You are lying" Harry said as the tears were finally starting to stop. "No one likes Voldemort and no one would like me"

"I - said - that - you - are - not - becoming - like - him. Is that understood?" Tonks tried to say this in a very stern voice but couldn't do so. She had never seen Harry like this and it was quite painful.

"Ok" Harry said meekly. Wiping his tears, he finally got up and walked over to his room, leaving behind Tonks. The moment Harry disappeared, Tonks broke down herself.

**&&&&**

"You are back early" Remus said to Harry as he arrived back in the trunk just a few minutes after he had left for school.

"Classes have been cancelled for today" came the reply in an unfamiliar and monotonous voice. Remus had come back late the previous night and had heard of the whole incident from a sobbing Tonks. It had taken a long time to convince Tonks that everything will be ok and Remus had also planned to talk to Harry today about the whole incident. He knew that Harry had to talk to someone and even though Tonks had been able to provide him with a lot of support, he wanted to verify for himself that Harry was really ok now.

"You haven't eaten anything today" Remus said to Harry as he was proceeding towards his room. "Why don't you join us at the table?" Harry stopped for a while and then decided to go ahead with what Remus had said. After all, it had been more of a statement than a question and Harry knew that he owed Remus an explanation for what had happened the previous night. As he took his regular seat opposite Tonks, he noticed that her eyes were red in color.

"So, you wanted to talk to me about last night, right?" Harry came straight to the point. He knew that he was right and he didn't want to beat around the bush.

"Yes" Remus replied calmly. "Tonks and Dobby have told me what had happened but I wanted to know some things from you"

"Go on. Maybe answering to your questions will help me answer some of mine" Harry said as he traced a line on his left palm with his right index finger.

"Are you feeling ok now?" Remus asked.

"Yeah" Harry's reply was as short as possible.

"Do you have any idea what happened yesterday? I mean, what made you think like you did?"

"No" came the reply.

"I thought so too" Remus said in a concerned manner. "I can offer you a short explanation based on my knowledge of the charm you used"

"Really?" Harry seemed to regain his old voice slightly.

"The thing is..." Remus started his short explanation "...the hate charm is one of the hardest one's to use. Mind you, it is almost similar to the Cruciatus or the other unforgivables but slightly more difficult"

"More difficult?" Tonks seemed puzzled at this.

"In a sense Tonks" Remus said. "You see, the unforgivables can be used to target only a single person at a time but the hate charm can be used to target more than one person or being. If you use the hate charm on a single living being, then it is easier than the unforgivables but if you use it on a large group then..." Remus shrugged his shoulders at this.

"Then it requires even more hate and evil to cast the spell" Harry finished off. Tonks gave Remus a glance who returned a reassuring glance to her.

"Yes and No" Remus said. "Yes because it requires more hate and no because it doesn't require evil to do so. Harry..." Remus looked at the boy in front of him who still refused to meet their eyes. "...remember one thing, hate doesn't mean evil. We all hate Voldemort but does that mean we are evil? No. What you have to know is that everyone hates someone or the other and you are no exception"

With a sad smile, Harry asked "Does everyone like to kill others and does everyone like the feeling of torturing others?"

"Harry, you are too young to understand some things in life which can come only with experience" Remus said. "You know the first time I turned into a werewolf and the returned to normal...well...I was livid. I wanted to bite everyone so that they could also know what it feels to be a werewolf. Now you tell me, would I have been right if I had done so?" Remus waited for a few moments for an answer but when he got none, he continued. "No Harry, it wouldn't have been right. But I still hated everyone for what had happened to me when only one werewolf was responsible for it. I couldn't see the truth then but later on, I understood that I had been wrong. These things happen Harry. This is what life is all about. You have your ups and downs but that is not always the reality"

"But Remus..." Harry interrupted him. "I wanted nothing but revenge. I didn't care whether the person in front of me was good or bad. I only wanted revenge"

"And so did I" Remus replied. "But with the help of James and Sirius, I was able to pass that phase. I learned to live with my fate and I started to enjoy it. You can't let the happenings of a day to wreck your whole life. Remember one thing; we are always here for you if you need any help. Do you still think that I am wrong in saying that you are the same old Harry?"

"I am not old" Harry said with a grin and both Remus and Tonks were happy to see him smiling again. "But..." Harry paused for a moment before saying "...I am scarred. Not only on my forehead but also on my soul". At this, Remus looked at Tonks with a helpless expression on his face. He knew what Harry was talking about as he had also felt the same thing initially, but had later learnt on to live with it. It was going to be a tough job for this young man in front of him.

"Dobby is thinking Harry Potter is not scarred" a tiny but determined voice spoke from beside Harry. "Dobby is thinking Harry Potter is having to make the right choice now"

"What do you mean Dobby?" Tonks was the first one to recover after hearing this surprising statement.

"Dobby is knowing the spell Harry Potter is using and Dobby is wanting to help Harry Potter"

"What do you know Dobby?" Harry asked curiously. He knew that Dobby wouldn't say something rash unless he had some hard evidence about it.

"Dobby is knowing what is written in page 268 and page 269 of this book" With that, Dobby held forward the book on the patronus charms and dementors which Hermione had gifted to Harry on his birthday. This book had articles about different people's experiences with dementors and Harry had gone through it once before also. Harry quickly flipped to the page numbers Dobby had mentioned and saw that these were the same 2 pages which he had been unable to understand previously.

"What is written here Dobby?" Harry asked grimly as he didn't know what to expect in reply.

"These pages is written in Dobby's language and these is written by elder elves" Dobby explained. "These elves worked for bad wizards and they is seeing lots of bad things. They is seeing the hate spell too"

"And?" Harry prompted Dobby.

"They is saying the hate charm was developed to control dementors" Dobby shuddered slightly as he said this. "This charm is having ability to kill dementors but..."

"But what Dobby?" Harry asked to the elf who suddenly seemed very nervous.

"But..." Dobby continued in a shaky voice "...this spell is bringing out the bad side in a wizard. If wizard is not able to control his emotions, wizard is becoming bad"

"What do you mean?" Remus asked this time.

"Elder elves seeing people using hate charm going mad because they are not liking anyone anymore. If they cannot control themselves, they is also having the chance of only wanting to kill" Dobby said meekly. He didn't want to say all this stuff but he knew that Harry should have the full knowledge of the hate charm. Harry was about to say something when Dobby spoke again "But good wizards can use hate charm too. They is having to know when to stop"

"And how am I supposed to know that?" Harry asked grimly. From what he had just heard, he didn't like the use of the hate charm even in the most extreme case.

"That is up to the wizard. They is knowing when to stop" Dobby replied. "If they is not stopping then the charm can start controlling the wizard"

"But I didn't stop myself, did I?" Harry said vehemently.

"That's why great wizards like Harry Potter have friends to stop him" Dobby replied. "Harry Potter's friends not letting him get into trouble"

"How long have you known about this charm and the book?" Tonks asked.

"Dobby is knowing about the book when Dobby cleaning up things. Harry Potter is leaving the page open and Dobby is happy to read something in his own language" Dobby replied and added in a whisper "But Dobby is not liking what he read". The elf jerked his head vigorously to prove his point. "Also, Dobby is once hearing about the spell being used"

"When?" Remus asked. This seemed to be going from bad to worse.

"When Dobby working for bad wizards" Dobby gripped the edge of the table to keep himself steady in his nervousness. "Dobby is hearing You-Know-Who using hate charm to control dementors"

**&&&&**

_Nov 1._

_I am back to where I was a few days ago. Before, it was Tonks questioning me but now, I am questioning myself. Dumbledore had said that emotions help to drive magic and that my emotions would help me make choices which will decide the outcome of this war. Great...just great. Then we are taught some hate charm and no one ever says what can happen if it goes out of control. And then we are attacked by dementors when Dumbledore was not here and I became hysterical. I don't even remember everything which happened but I know that I did all that which took place._

_Tonks and Remus are just great. Without them I might have gone mad by now. But Dobby is not a step behind them either. He knew that I could have cursed him during my hysteria but he didn't back off. All I can say is that I must have done some good in this world to have earned such a trusted friend._

_Today Dobby told me the effects which can take place if the charm is not controlled by me. I must say, yesterday it was not me controlling the charm but the opposite. If I cannot control my emotions then I will end up making wrong choices and...no, I can't let that happen._

_I am really at my wits end now. Am I more powerful than the others because I can use this hate charm or am I the same? Is this one more thing which makes me different? Can I ever control this charm or will the charm control me? How do I come up with all these stuff in any case? Why me in every case?_

_Do I know who I really am?_

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Here's the 17'th chapter. I don't know whether this will satisfy you but I just wrote it on my instinct. Did I drag on a bit too much or was the balance ok?

This is for those who think Hogwarts is impenetrable – Please go back to the a/n's of chapter 12. I have pointed out some things. If you still think Hogwarts is a fortress, then please provide some better logic. Anyway, I respect your opinions greatly.

**Zaxxon** – 2 reasons for my (and most others) first chapter being the way it they are:

This is my first attempt at writing something

Even if someone doesn't know a single thing about the HP universe, they can still understand the story.

**spaimla** – Thanks for your review. If you have continued till this point then I would like to ask you a few questions:

You commented about the similarities with a said fic but you have not left a single review about some of the more unique points in this fic. I wonder how many people always get so much time to point out what they think are deficiencies and never have time to show some appreciation?

I have no reason to say that the said fic authors ideas are not marvelous but let me ask you something – are all the ideas of the said author original? Be very sure before you say a yes or a no because you may be proved wrong. Having said that, I have the utmost respect for the said author.

If I sounded rude then I apologize profusely because that was not my intention. In any case, thanks for your review again.

**Darkmoon**** Fleur** – A ship is still not in place so you don't have to worry too much.

**Schnuff** – I don't know whether you continued till this chapter or not but if you have, then I think some of your queries would have been cleared up. Apart from that, I would like to point out some other things:

1. You said that all the other people could also be using the trunk if it is just 8k worth. IMO, 8k galleons is far higher than 8k $. Secondly and more importantly, where have I said that no one other than Harry uses such a trunk?  
Also, you said that Harry couldn't see the D.A. because they were in different timetables. Did you carefully read the ending of chapter 10 where I had mentioned that the 2 timetables had been made similar by Harry? Oh well, please read carefully before saying such things.

2. Yes, Harry is letting his fear for Voldemort to drive away his friends but it is his decision. That's what my Harry is about.

3. My Harry is not smart, he is human. He will make mistakes too.

**Talons** – It still isn't an H/T. You might be sensing a wrong ship ;)

**Whatever Star** – Why is Voldemort's army knocking so much on Hogwarts doors? Hmmm…wait and see.

**artihcus** – Yeah, sometimes my style gets a bit jumbled up. I am trying to improve on that.

**To all those people whose names I don't mention here** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	18. Moods & Progresses

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 18 – Moods & Progresses**

_Nov 1._

_...Can I ever control this charm or will the charm control me? How do I come up with all these stuff in any case? Why me in every case?_

_Do I know who I really am?_

**&&&&**

"Madam Pomfrey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Mr. Potter, is there anything the matter with you?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she carefully surveyed the person in front of her desk. "You didn't get into a scramble today, did you?"

"No" Harry replied. "I just wanted to talk to you"

"I see" the school matron replied. "Please have a seat". Though the school matron tried to look casual, Harry could sense the fact that he was being scanned thoroughly. He knew that Madam Pomfrey loved him a great deal and understood her concern for what had happened yesterday night.

"Thank you" Harry replied as he took his seat. It was still an hour to go for lunch and he wanted to finish his business with Madam Pomfrey before that. "Ma'am, can you please tell me what happened yesterday?"

Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a closer look at this question. "Why are you asking me?" she asked.

"Because Professor Snape loves me too much to say anything which would cause me pain, and Professor McGonagall is too lenient about these matters" Harry replied sarcastically. "Also because I do not like you at all after the way you have neglected my treatment for all these years"

Madam Pomfrey seemed to be taken aback a bit at this but recovered quickly enough to smile at Harry. "It seems like you could be a threat to my safety Mr. Potter. On a more serious note, let me tell you what happened". With that, Madam Pomfrey went on to describe Harry her view of the events.

"...And then Mr. Weasley could take it no more and Ms. Granger lost her consciousness too. Soon very few of us were left who could put up some sort of a fight. It was at this point that you came out of the door and, if I might say so, gave us some hope. But..." with a deep sigh, Madam Pomfrey continued to explain what they had seen and how Harry's hate charm had effected them too. Finally, when she was finished, she looked at the grim face of Harry and felt sorry for him.

"How is everyone here?" Harry asked in a croaked voice. "Ron? Hermione? Neville? How are they doing?"

"They will take some time to recover fully..." Madam Pomfrey replied sadly. "...but I think they will be able to attend their classes within the coming two to three days"

"They will be ok, right?" Harry looked quite frightened as he leaned forward to ask his question and Madam Pomfrey could clearly hear the hope in his voice.. "There isn't any permanent damage done, is there?"

"Thankfully not" Madam Pomfrey replied. "I don't know whether it was a fortunate or an unfortunate event, but the truth is that your charm managed to indirectly save them". Harry didn't say anything in return to this.

"And Fle...Professor Delacour? What about her?" Harry asked concernedly.

"She has recovered better than expected" Madam Pomfrey replied. "I think she will be able to give you homework from tomorrow onwards again"

Harry gave a weak smile at this intended joke before asking "Can I meet Professor Delacour for a minute please?"

Madam Pomfrey looked curiously at Harry and asked "And what about you're other friends? Won't you like to talk to them too?"

"Not now ma'am" Harry replied. "I will talk to them at the right time and place"

"It seems you are now a man taking your own decisions but..." Madam Pomfrey paused for a moment before saying "...Harry, you should be more careful about what you do and you should know that your friends care for you very much. AND..." Madam Pomfrey raised her hand as she saw that Harry was about to say something. "And they have been querying about your well being from the time they have woken up. It seems Harry that some of your priorities have changed. But who am I to say anything to you?" Madam Pomfrey looked away at this, got up from her seat and motioned to Harry to follow her. But when she reached the door, she turned around to find Harry still sitting in his chair. Just as she was about to say something, Harry spoke up.

"Madam Pomfrey, where are the beds of Ron and Hermione?". Madam Pomfrey thought that the voice had a guilty feeling to it but she decided to ignore it.

"I will gladly point it out if you follow me Harry" the school matron replied as the young boy came up to her. Giving him a slight hug, she escorted him towards the beds of his best friends.

**&&&&**

"Hi" Hermione said when she saw Ron in the bed on her left side. "How did we get here?"

"No idea" Ron replied with a struggle as he was now wishing that he had not banged his head on the Gryffindor table repeatedly. "Neville and I have been talking about that for the past 20 minutes while you were still asleep"

"Oh...so Neville's here too" Hermione said as she realized that there could be a lot of people in here. As she got up into a sitting position, she looked around and found that her fears had been true as she recognized many faces. With a sigh, she turned back towards Ron "Do you know what happened?".

Ron gave a shake of his head to indicate he had no idea whatsoever and Neville was of no help either. All three of them got lost in their thoughts about what might have happened when the familiar sound of footsteps was heard near the door of the hospital wing.

"At least he is on his feet for a change" Hermione said, her gaze fixed in the direction of the doorway. Almost simultaneously, Harry's figure came into view but, without even looking around; he turned to the left hand side and disappeared into Madam Pomfrey's office.

"Looks like he is in need of some medicines" Neville said, before asking both Ron and Hermione "Do you know what is wrong with him?" Seeing the sullen face of both his friends, Neville said "I don't know anything either. He seems so different from the person we knew. I think his godfather's death has effected him greatly"

"But for how long can he be like this?" Ron questioned, his voice betraying the irritated mood of his. "Ok...his godfather died. We all can understand that it must be terrible for him. Hell...it would have been terrible for me too if I had been in his place. But why does he stay away from us so much? He could at least talk to us. He..." Ron stopped at this as he felt his strength drain out.

"Don't talk too much" Hermione said concernedly. "Yeah...Sirius meant a lot to him and I think he still misses him. But Ron was the _'thing he would miss most_' in the Tri-wizard tournament. Then..." Hermione was lost in her thoughts again as she tried to figure out what was wrong with Harry. Suddenly she heard Ron whisper to her "He is headed this way". Looking around, she saw Madam Pomfrey leading Harry towards them.

**&&&&**

"Mr. Potter, can I ask you one thing?" came a sudden question from Madam Pomfrey as they approached the hospital beds.

"Yes" Harry replied.

"How did you manage such a powerful charm?" Madam Pomfrey asked curiously, before hastening to add "I mean, I have treated you so many times and I have never felt any kind of hateful feelings inside you. You are always so kind..."

"I can't answer that ma'am" Harry cut short Madam Pomfrey's statement. After a slight pause, Harry said "I don't have a clue as to how I did it myself"

"That's what I had assumed too" Madam Pomfrey replied as they neared the beds of Ron, Hermione and Neville. "There they are" Madam Pomfrey gave a nod towards the patients and left.

As Harry slowly approached his friends, he had a kind of feeling as if butterflies were flying in his stomach. In the past, he would have just rushed to the side of these people and would bombard them with questions as to how they were feeling and what had happened to them but this time was different. He had never given a thought to how he would talk to his friends if the need came and now, he had only a single word to describe his feeling - awkward.

Harry felt very awkward as he came nearer Hermione's bed, who had her eyes set on him. He knew that all he wanted to know was that they were all right but still, he felt as if something was wrong. Yes, a voice inside him cried out that something was wrong and that was with him. He had created this situation for himself, where he was hesitating to talk to his best friends, and now he had to rectify it. As he looked at the faces of the onlookers, he found a confrontation with Voldemort more welcoming than this.

"Hi" Harry said to all of them at a time before his eyes came to a rest on Hermione. "How are you feeling?"

"I guess I am ok" Hermione replied in her normal voice though she was tense too. She could almost feel that Harry was trying to break down a barrier, which he had himself setup, but she didn't want to push too hard. "How are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"Ok I guess" Harry replied as he looked at the heap of 'Get Well Soon' cards beside Hermione's table. Under normal circumstances, there would have been his card amongst all of them but alas, things were as far from normal as the North Pole was from the South Pole. Normally Harry would have had a lot to say but this time around, he was almost scratching his head in desperation to find something to say.

"It's nice to see you on your feet this time" Hermione said after a while.

"Ah..." Harry said with a start. "Oh yeah" he said realizing what Hermione had said. Seeing that he had nothing more to say to the girl in front of him, he proceeded towards Ron's bed.

"I am fine and so is Neville" Ron said even before Harry had asked anything. "Anything else you want to know?". Ron was looking angrily at Harry and missed the death glares which Hermione was giving him.

"I wanted to say something..." Harry said after a short pause. "I need time...time to decide some things". Looking Ron dead in the eye for a few moments, Harry turned and left.

"When he gets back to his senses, I am going to give him a sound beating" Ron said through gritted teeth.

"C'mon Ron" Neville said. "He must have some reasons to do what he is doing"

"Yeah Ron" Hermione said. "I think we all agree that this was a start for him"

"Maybe" Ron said with a sigh. "But I am still going to giving him a beating"

**&&&&**

"That was quick" Madam Pomfrey said when she saw Harry standing before her desk again. "Did you even talk to them?"

"Yeah" Harry replied quickly as he didn't want to continue on this topic any more. "Can I talk to Professor Delacour now?"

"Only if she is awake" Madam Pomfrey replied. She motioned Harry to follow her as she led him towards a section which he had never been to before. "This is the teachers section of the hospital wing" Madam Pomfrey explained to Harry as they entered a curtained area. She then motioned Harry to wait for her and made her way to the extreme end of the area. However, she returned soon enough and told him that Fleur was at the extreme end of the enclosure and had no problems seeing him.

"Hi" Harry said as he reached Fleur's bed. Fleur looked somewhat different from the way he had seen her before but he couldn't point out exactly what it was.

"'ello" Fleur replied. Harry could see a mixture of emotions in her eyes as she said this and the most pronounced of them was that of fear. After a few tense moments, Fleur said "Have a seat". Harry sat down in one of the visitor chairs which was nearby and kept on thinking as to why he had come here. After all, from what he had heard from Madam Pomfrey, he was responsible for the condition in which Fleur was currently and in all probability, she didn't want to see him now.

"I am sorry" Harry blurted out. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wasn't myself"

"I understand" Fleur replied a bit tensely.

"Fleur..." Harry said. "...thanks for trying to stop me. I appreciate it very much; even though the outcome of the event was not something which was expected by you"

"I 'eard zat you drove away ze dementors" Fleur cut short Harry.

"Well...you can say that I drove them away but then..." Harry's voice trailed off at this.

"Then?" Fleur prompted Harry when she saw the look of helplessness on his face.

"Well..." Harry said as he refused to meet Fleur's gaze. "...It's just that it was not me. I mean, it was me but still I wasn't myself". Realizing that he wasn't making too much sense, he quickly added "Sorry but I don't think I can explain it right now"

"I think I 'ave an idea of what you are saying" Fleur replied, albeit a bit coldly. Even though Harry wasn't in the best state of mind, he didn't fail to notice the tone of Fleur's voice.

"I wanted to say something..." Harry said. After he got a confirmation nod from Fleur to proceed, he said "I don't think that the Christmas plan you made will work out. I mean, after what happened yesterday, I think I would be a risky guest for you all and I don't want that to be the case"

"I zee" Fleur said. "What I don't underztand is whether you are declining ze invitation or are you asking me to reconsider my invitation?"

"I really don't know" Harry replied. To tell the truth, he wanted to decline the invitation to some extent because he feared for the safety of the Delacours. "Maybe you would like to reconsider your invitation?" Harry said hesitantly.

"Maybe not" Fleur replied coldly. "It was my decision to invite you and I did it. If you don't want to come, then zay so directly"

"It's not that I don't want to come" Harry replied apologetically. "In fact, if decline the offer, then Tonks will most probably kill me. It's just that I didn't want to give you unnecessary trouble"

"It won't be any problem for us" Fleur's voice had softened slightly. "And Gabrielle would kill me if you didn't come during Christmas"

"Ok then" Harry said with a grin. "Since neither of us wants to get killed right now, I think we should keep the plan the way it was"

"I agree" Fleur replied, even though the warmth with which she used to talk to Harry was missing. "'arry, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course" Harry replied spontaneously.

"Could you please inform Tonks zat I want to talk to 'er?"

**&&&&**

School was never going to be the same again for Harry. Well, in a way it never was normal for him but still, the whispers and the odd stares seemed to have increased greatly in the past 16 hours. The tale about how Harry had used the Hate Charm had spread in the castle like fire and now, thanks to some of the Slytherins, different variations of it were making the rounds. Harry didn't know whether his decision to have dinner in the Great Hall was a good idea, seeing the amount of whispering going around along with the number of people pointing him out to others, but all whispers stopped as the headmaster rose to say something to the students.

"We all faced a tough time yesterday but we have come through it again" Dumbledore said. "It seems like the dark forces have their eyes on Hogwarts but what they don't know is that Hogwarts remains strong and firm. Yesterday, many of you had fought with great courage and determination which resulted in the survival of Hogwarts. I, as your headmaster, am proud of the fact that I have had the honor of meeting such excellent individuals. I would also like to thank the students who are right now in the hospital wing and..."

Dumbledore had to pause here as a small round of applause started, which then began to grow in volume and soon, almost everyone in the hall had joined in. Knowing that this was a gesture of appreciation and respect for the students who were in the hospital wing, all the teachers, except Snape, and the headmaster also joined in. When everyone had settled down once again, Dumbledore continued.

"All of you deserve praise but some of you deserve a little more than the others. I would like to specifically name a few people". A round of whisper broke out between the students in the hall. "Neville Longbottom showed greater courage than many of the seventh year students while Cho Chang was equally courageous. But one person deserves more praise than the others". Everyone looked around at Harry who kept his gaze focused on Dumbledore. Even though he didn't show it, he felt furious at Dumbledore for making him the center of attraction once again. As Dumbledore met Harry's eyes, Harry noticed that the headmaster's eyes were twinkling like the stars above.

"And that person is..." Dumbledore paused for a moment for the effect "...Soha Mentieva". The whole hall was stunned into silence for a moment before the Ravenclaw table burst into applause. Soon, most of the others had joined in too which caused Soha to turn beet red.

"Ms. Mentieva has shown us that the fight of good and evil isn't related to just one country or race" Dumbledore continued when the applause died down. "She has adopted England as her home country for the time being and she is fighting just as well as any of us. We have got a lot to learn from you Soha" Dumbledore said with a slight nod, which was reciprocated by Soha"

"Now, before you all start eating, I have to give you some good news and some bad news. Let me start with the bad news first. Due to yesterday's attack, we have decided that fourth years and below will not venture out of the castle alone unless there is an emergency". A collective groan went around the hall. "And that emergency doesn't include getting some butterbeer" Dumbledore added with a smile. "Also, all quidditch matches have been cancelled until further notice". A louder groan than the previous one ensued while some students protested. "I know how you all feel and I hope that normality will be restored soon. And now for some good news. We have some points to give"

"For the courage displayed by the students of various houses, I award 270 points to Gryffindor house..." the Gryffindor table burst into applause "...250 points to Ravenclaw and 240 points to Hufflepuff...". Both the house tables of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff exploded. "As for Slytherin, I award 135 points". A small round of applause went around in which many other house students joined in. As Harry looked around, he saw that the Slytherins were slowly gaining some acceptance in the eyes of the other students and this was a good sign for all of them. But as his eyes rested on the hatred filled face of a certain Malfoy, Harry felt sure that this boy would never find too much support in most of the student circles.

"And now..." Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the voice of Dumbledore "...dig in"

**&&&&**

"Mr. Potter" Harry spun around to find Professor McGonagall looking down at him at the breakfast table the next day. "Please meet the headmaster during the lunch time"

"Ok Professor" Harry replied. As he was about to turn away, he saw that Professor McGonagall had opened her mouth to say something but then thought better of it. As he watched the retreating figure of the Professor, he wondered what McGonagall had in mind.

"Hi Harry"

"Hi Soha" Harry said as he saw the petite figure of the young Ravenclaw girl standing opposite to his seat. "When did you arrive?"

"Just when McGonagall left" Soha replied. "But you seemed too pre-occupied with something"

"It's nothing" Harry replied honestly. "By the way, you are the new celebrity around here. Congratulations"

"Yeah yeah...you can smile now" Soha replied sarcastically. "Now people will be planning to kill me too". Hearing this, the color on Harry's face seemed to drain out faster than Soha could draw her wand. Realizing that the joke had been a bad one, Soha quickly added "I was just joking. Now, don't take this too seriously, ok?"

On the contrary, Harry looked dead serious and said in a heavy voice "Never ever crack such dumb jokes again. Is that understood?". The way Harry looked at her and his commanding voice made Soha almost feel afraid of him and all she could manage was an affirmative nod. As she saw some of the color returning to Harry's cheeks, she noticed that Harry's overall persona had changed since she had first seen him. Initially he had been almost like a normal but a serious boy but now, he had something of a commanding air about him. Yes, this new aspect could only be seen if someone managed to upset or anger Harry but still, denying its existence would be wrong.

"Anyway..." Harry continued normally "...you did a great job from what I have heard of"

"Thanks" Soha said with a blush. A compliment such as this from Harry Potter was of truly great value. "But Harry, I wanted to ask you about the charm you performed". Harry looked at Soha for some moments and came to the conclusion that it was the Ravenclaw curiousness for knowledge which had forced her to ask this question. In any case, Harry didn't want to talk about it and he made himself pretty clear.

"Not now Soha" Harry replied. "I am not ready yet". Soha looked slightly taken aback at this because Harry had never denied her anything till date, but then she understood that Harry must have his reasons for not saying anything. She gave an acknowledging nod at this.

"Ok Harry. No problem about that. Since I don't want to pester you about this, can you tell me about the charm when you are ready?" Soha asked. Harry gave an affirmative nod at this.

"Ok" Soha said brightly. "I should be going now. I have some work in the library"

"See you" Harry replied.

The rest of the day went as normally as possible for Harry unless one counted the astonishing number of whispers and finger pointing wherever he went. It seemed like tales about the battle against dementors were making the rounds of the castle and new versions were sprouting like weed.

"Hello" came a little voice from beside Harry as he was proceeding towards the headmaster's office during lunchtime.

"Hello" Harry said with a smile when he noticed a first year Hufflepuff boy looking at him with wide eyes. "What can I do to help you?" Harry asked.

"Is it true that you killed a dementor with your bare hands?" The boy asked innocently. Harry was stunned for a moment at this question as he wondered just how much the original tale had been twisted but he was brought back to his senses by a small hand tugging at his robes. "Everyone says you can kill dementors by just looking at them too"

"No, they are wrong" Harry replied much to the dismay of the young kid. "No one can kill dementors by looking at them or with their bare hands"

"Then how did you do it?" came the next question.

"Actually I didn't kill any dementor" Harry replied. "No dementor was killed yesterday by anyone"

"Oh..." The boy replied as if someone had just told him that all the fairy tales he had heard were lies. "Ok...I got to go" the boy replied and ran off in the opposite direction even before Harry had a chance to ask his name. As Harry turned around to proceed towards the headmaster's office, he heard a tiny shout from behind "He didn't kill any dementors...He didn't kill anyone"

Harry proceeded to the stone gargoyle and gave the old password. Surprisingly, the gargoyle moved away and Harry was left wondering as to why Dumbledore had kept the same password for such a long time. As he proceeded towards the office, he assumed that Dumbledore must have gone mad after all.

"Come in Harry" the voice of Dumbledore called out just as Harry was about to knock on the door. Once again he wondered whether Dumbledore had x-ray vision but perished the thought soon. As he entered the office, he heard a tiny rustle from behind a closed door on the left hand side of the office but then again, he thought, his imagination was playing tricks with him.

"Good afternoon sir" Harry said as he stood in front of his headmaster.

"Good afternoon Harry" the headmaster replied. "Since you have just finished your lunch, it would be fruitless to ask you to taste some new products of Fred and George. They look nice but the beauty of their products is only skin deep" the headmaster chuckled at this and Harry was also unable to resist a smile.

"But their innovations are priceless" Harry said.

"Oh yes" Dumbledore replied with a nod. "There can be no doubt about that. Even though James and Sirius were had mastered the art of playing pranks on people, they had never put their talent into something like this. Well, I think I have called you here for a reason and you also know that" Dumbledore said the last sentence more seriously but the twinkling in his eyes seemed to grow even more.

"I think I do sir but still, I would like you to bring up the topic" Harry replied.

"Of course" Dumbledore replied. "Firstly, I have heard that you collapsed initially. Could you please tell me what was the reason behind that?" Harry then explained what he had visualized and how, all of a sudden, it seemed like all the lights in the world had been switched off.

Looking thoughtfully at his young pupil, Dumbledore asked "I see that you have learnt something from this experience and if I am not wrong, this will help you in the future too". Harry didn't say anything in reply as he was not sure whether something was expected of him or not. "You see Harry..." Dumbledore spoke again "...the past is often a terrible thing for many of us. Look at Neville for instance. Can he do anything for his parent's even if he had the power to do so? That would be impossible for him or anyone else for that matter. What he can do is try to make his present and future a better place to live in. Even if his parents fully recover tomorrow, the only thing that they would love most is to see that their son is doing well in life"

"And me sir?" Harry asked despairingly. He had no parents who could be proud of him or who would feel happy if he did well. He didn't have anyone who would give him a pat on his back if he did well in his examinations or who would scold him if he missed classes intentionally. True, Tonks, Remus, Ron, Hermione and some of the others did all they could but still, no one could match one's parents.

"Harry..." Dumbledore said sadly as he looked deep into the troubled eyes of his pupil. "...I knew your parents and godfather very well. If they are listening to what I am saying, then I hope they agree with me when I say that you have made them proud. From what I knew of them, they would never have been happier if they were known as Harry Potter's parents instead of just Mr. and Mrs. Potter. And from what we have seen of you, they are now known to the world as Harry Potter's parents and that's the biggest thing you could hope for. That's the thing they wanted most and that's what you gave them"

"It's not the same" Harry replied sadly.

"I know..." Dumbledore said in a whisper and patted Harry's hand. "When you get close to a person very much and then miss them for the whole of your life, it never feels the same. You will miss your godfather for the rest of your life; but will making your life a misery make him happy wherever he is? No Harry. Believe me, I have seen destruction which has separated brothers, has torn apart families and much worse. It is never a happy feeling but still, one has to fight for what he or she believes in and if that is the right path, that's what makes their parents and relatives happy"

"Maybe..." Harry replied as he pondered over the thought as to whether Dumbledore knew of his vision of his parents or not. From what Dumbledore was saying, it had some major hints to that dream of his but still, Harry couldn't be fully sure.

"Also, you must be wondering as to what made you perform such a powerful charm, right?" Dumbledore changed the topic suddenly. If Harry had any doubts previously that Dumbledore had indirectly hinted at his dream of his parents and Sirius, he was sure of it by now. "Tell me Harry, what were you thinking when you regained consciousness?"

"I really don't know" Harry replied as he tried to remember his feelings. "I mean, I was feeling responsible for the state of Ron, Hermione and everyone else..."

"And you wanted to somehow take revenge?" Dumbledore queried. Harry just gave an affirmative nod in response but the guilt in his heart had surfaced on his features.

"Harry..." Dumbledore said in a god-fatherly tone as he wiped clean his glasses. "...Every person wants revenge at some time or the other. It is quite a miracle that you have never wanted revenge till now. I mean, you are human after all. Tell me one more thing, who did you want the revenge from? From the dementors or yourself or the others?"

After a moment of pause in which Harry decided that there was no problem in telling Dumbledore what had happened, he said "Everyone"

"I see" Dumbledore said with a sigh. "You know Harry, that's the magic of revenge. Once you get drawn into it, it gets difficult to distinguish between what your inner self wants and what your mind wants. In most of us, the mind takes over and people tend to do unthinkable things but _you_ can't let that happen. You remember how you drove out Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic building? I know you can never forget that night but also remember that it was not your mind which drove away Voldemort but it was your heart. Your inner, true self did not want to be like Voldemort and that's why he couldn't stay inside you"

"But this didn't happen this time around" Harry replied sadly.

"Because there was no Lord Voldemort around this time" Dumbledore replied. "It's easy when you are fighting some other wizard but it is very hard when you are fighting your own self. It's very hard to convince your mind that this is not what you want. You can understand this by thinking about the imperious curse. From what I know, you are able to completely throw off the curse but that is because someone else has cast the spell on you. Tell me, would you be able to fight it off if you were cursing your own self?"

"Is that possible?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Many things are possible in this world which is not in books" Dumbledore replied with a smile reminding Harry of the dialogue Moody had said to Hermione once. "Let me tell you...only a very strong wizard or witch would be able to fight his own self and, if I am not wrong, you have the ability to do so. You may not know that..." Dumbledore continued in spite of seeing Harry try to protest against his statement. "...but didn't some part of you protest when you saw the dementors struggling under your curse?". At this, Harry's face fell as he remembered how a part of his self wanted him to stop. Getting no response from Harry, Dumbledore continued in the same serious tone.

"You see Harry; you have to listen to _that_ part of yours when the appropriate time comes. Never ever let your emotions control you fully because that can be dangerous"

"I understand sir" Harry replied. "But how come I could produce such a powerful charm?"

Dumbledore looked slightly tired and aged as he tried to explain his opinions to Harry and it was clear that this was not a job which he preferred very much.

"Harry...somewhere deep down you hate the dementors as much as Lord Voldemort hates you. Dementors have a more adverse impact on you than the others and I have explained the reason to you as to why that happens. But, the fact that it is the dementors who make you relieve that moment again and again has left an imprint on your emotional self. The muggles say that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This is true for human emotions too. If someone loves you, then you tend to love that person too. Well, not always but somewhere deep down, you still care about that person. Now, what kind of feelings will you harbor for a creature which has given you nothing but pain and suffering all your life?"

"But doesn't the same apply for Voldemort?" Harry asked with mixed feelings. Some of the things which Dumbledore was saying were actually making sense to him and it seemed to him that the old headmaster had really given up on his puzzling methods of explanation, at least with him.

"In a sense, yes" Dumbledore replied. "Voldemort has been the source of your pains but he is uneffected by the hate charm. You will never be able to use this charm against him". Pausing for a moment, Dumbledore continued "Also, you might actually hate the dementors more than Voldemort because not only do they make you relieve your own pains, but they had effected another person close to you as well"

"Siri..." Harry was about to say the full name of his late godfather but stopped when he saw Dumbledore raising his hand.

"Alas, we cannot take his name yet" Dumbledore said sadly as Harry saw unmistakable sign's of pain his eyes. Dumbledore had seen a lot in his life, including the deaths of some of his favorite students, maybe even relatives, and it was expected that he would be effected by all of it. He was human after all.

"You see Harry, you and your godfather were quite close together and that's where the magic of blood and love comes in. You just don't feel your own pain but also the pain _he_ suffered. In my opinion, all these facts make you hate the dementors more than Voldemort" Dumbledore said.

"Maybe..." Harry said in a strange sort of voice as his mind seemed to be filled with the images of the happy moments he had spent with Sirius. A few minutes of silence ensued before Harry realized that he had been there for a long time now "I should be going now. Classes start in 5 minutes".

"Remember one thing Harry" Dumbledore said as Harry got up to leave. "Fighting with one's own self is the hardest thing to do. Also, don't let the love or the hate for anyone effect your feelings for the rest of the world. Life always goes on in spite of what has happened or what will happen"

**&&&&**

"How are Ron and Hermione doing?" Tonks asked tentatively during dinner time. She knew that Harry hated her constant pestering over this issue but she was not going to let go of it anytime soon.

"Quite fine" Harry replied as he continued to munch on his meatloaf.

"What did they say?" Tonks asked, biting her lower lip in anticipation.

"Nothing much except that they are ok". Remus looked up as he heard Harry say this while Tonks jumped up in joy.

"You talked to them! You talked to them!" Tonks shouted as she started to dance around in her own way. As she looked at Harry, she saw that he was giving her one of his serious looks. Immediately, the joy on Tonks face faltered and one of her legs stopped moving while the other seemed intent on dancing. The result was that she fell with a crash on the floor.

"Ouch" Tonks said as she got up and rubbed her backside. Stomping her foot on the place she had fallen, she said "That will teach _you_ not to be so hard again". Avoiding the grinning face of Remus, she resumed her seat as gracefully as possible.

"So..." Tonks said a bit more slowly but there was no enthusiasm lost in her voice. "...what did you guys talk about...oh stop grinning Remus"

"Nothing much" Harry replied without too much emotion. "I just asked how they were and they did pretty much the same thing"

"That was it?" Tonks asked a bit despairingly. She had expected at least a 2 minute chat but from the look of things, the chat might have been only a 20 second one at the best.

"Pretty much" Harry replied without raising his head from his dinner.

"Oh..." Tonks said as if she had just realized that the earth went around the sun and not the other way around. "What about Fleur? Did you meet her?"

"Yeah...I met her all right"

"So?"

"So what?"

"What did she say?" Tonks queried. "I hope she wasn't angry, was she?"

"No. But..."

"But what?"

"But...she seemed slightly different" Harry said. "She looked a bit cold to me"

"Don't worry about that" Tonks said. "She's just a bit shaken up"

"Maybe" Harry replied. "Well, I then talked about the Christmas trip to their home". Seeing the questioning look on the faces of Tonks and Remus, Harry continued "I asked her that after what had happened yesterday...well...would she still want us to visit them or not"

"WHAT!" Tonks shot up from her chair. "You tried to sabotage our vacation?"

Ignoring Tonks question, since this was pretty much how she reacted to such situations, Harry continued "Fleur said that it was not a problem with her and her invitation stands just the way it was 48 hours ago. So, I guess, we are going after all"

"God bless Fleur" Tonks said in relief as she took her seat once again. "She is such a nice vee...girl". Tonks gave an innocent smile as she saw Harry giving her another glare. As Harry looked away, she gave a sigh of relief while Remus shook his head in disappointment. Tonks was one girl who had a real difficulty in changing her smallest habits.

"And Fleur wants to talk to you" Harry said.

"Why?" Tonks asked in surprise.

"Don't know" Harry replied. "Maybe another round of girl talk"

"I think it will be something different from the last time" Tonks said thoughtfully before turning back to Harry with a question. "By the way, what the hell is the matter with you?"

"What?" Harry asked in reply. "Why should anything be the matter with me?"

"Let's me if I am wrong" Tonks sounded a warning to Remus who gladly nodded his head in reply. "You are very serious. You didn't smile when I fell in such a graceful motion. You are not looking at us too much". Tonks kept counting on her fingers as she listed these points. "You seem depressed. And now that I am saying all this stuff, there is a complete lack of emotion on your part"

"She's right Harry" Remus agreed. "Anything troubling you?"

"I don't know" Harry replied as he watched Dobby clear the dishes. "I just don't feel like doing anything anymore"

"What!" Tonks exclaimed again. "You mean you are quitting from your job? Who is going to take care of that dark lord?" Tonks tried to make her statements funny but a shake of head from Remus was enough to make her stop. It was quite obvious that Harry was not in a mood for these things and Remus didn't want Tonks to make any unnecessary comments.

After a few minutes of silence in which Tonks and Remus kept talking about some Order business, Harry said "I think I will turn in for the night".

"What's the matter with him?" Tonks asked as Harry went into his room and shut the door.

"Nothing much" Remus replied but his voice seemed concerned too.

"What do you mean by that?" Tonks said a bit angrily. "Obviously something is wrong and you say that it is nothing much!"

"What I meant was that he needs some time alone to sort out some things" Remus said. "We can't do anything". Seeing that Tonks was about to make a protest, Remus said "Tonks, think about it. If 150-odd dementors were around you for some seconds, then how long do you expect the effect to linger? It takes people days to get back to their normal self. In Harry's case, he was near the dementors for close to a minute or two. It's just as well that he was not in his normal mindset or he would have been mad by now. Even then, you can't expect that he would be totally unharmed by the dementors, can you?". This explanation seemed good enough for Tonks who turned her head back towards Harry's room. "Give him some time, he'll be ok soon"

"Will he ever be like what he was before?" Tonks asked in tiny voice.

"I don't know" Remus replied. "Most probably not. He would always have that extra burden on his shoulder to not go overboard with his emotions. It's just how fast he can adjust himself with this burden"

"Why only him Remus...why only him?" Tonks voice was slightly croaky as she said this.

"Fate" Remus replied with a sigh. Why Harry? This question was similar to the one he used to ask himself many years ago - why only me? He had got no answer then and there was no one around who would be able to provide an answer this time around.

"I don't believe this fate thing" Tonks replied angrily. "Why...tomorrow someone may predict that I am going to die on such and such date but I could kill myself before that. Then what?" Tonks thumped her hand on the desk to emphasize her point.

"Tonks, I understand what you are saying but we know that prophecies come true" Remus replied. "We can't do anything here, can we?"

"The hell we can" Tonks almost shouted at Remus and got up from her seat. "What does that old man do in his room all day? Can't he fix up these things? C'mon..." Tonks said, throwing up her arms in exasperation "...someone must have predicted who the next dark lord would have been. If only that old man had gotten rid of him when he was a student...". As she looked at the ever-so-cool face of Remus, her anger got the better of her "Damn it...who am I talking to?" With that, Nymphadora Tonks walked away to her room and slammed the door shut.

**&&&&**

"How was school today?" Remus asked as he saw Harry walk in the trunk. A few days had passed since the start of Harry's bad mood.

"The usual" came the reply as Harry entered his room and shut the door behind him. Remus had started to get concerned about Harry and the after-effects of the dementor attack. What he feared most was something which the muggles termed as 'depression'. Though this term was never used in the magical world, the symptoms of depression were quite similar to what happened to people in Azkaban after staying there for long. It was only after Remus had made such a comparison between these two cases, did he start getting really worried about Harry.

"Come in" Harry said as he heard a knock on the door of his room. As the door opened, the room was filled from light from outside.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Remus asked as he entered Harry's room.

"People think best when they are unaware of their surroundings" Harry replied. "I was trying to think clearly"

"I see" Remus replied as he sat down in a chair which seemed to appear just where he had wanted it to be. "You want to talk about something which might help you?"

"Well..." Harry thought for a moment. "...you could tell me something about Sirius"

"Don't you think it will depress you more than cheer you up?" Remus asked cautiously.

"I will be fine" Harry replied. "It's just that I like thinking about him and dad and mom. You know, from the time after those dementors left, I always have them on my mind". The room was still in dark but Remus could vaguely outline Harry's figure and could see that Harry was stretched out on his bed and looking at the ceiling. "They are always with me. I mean, they don't talk to me or anything like that...I am not mad...but I have this strange feeling that they are there. I mean...Remus…you understand what I mean, don't you?"

Remus nodded in the darkness but didn't say anything. If Harry wanted to talk, it was best that he was not interrupted in between. After a very brief pause, Harry started to speak again. "You see, I was thinking about how I was such a natural flyer. That's dad, isn't it? Also, I was thinking about why I care about people so much. Well, people say that I care but that's what everyone should do, isn't it? If people didn't care for each other that what is the purpose behind life? It just can't be about power and survival of the fittest, can it? Anyway, I care about people. That's mom in me, right? And Sirius...what about him? He has to be somewhere right inside me. I think I got his sense of style". Harry gave a chuckle as he said this and Remus also grinned. Even though the situation was very serious, Harry's sense of style was not even a close match with Sirius's. Remus was glad that Harry had come up with a witty statement and he felt even better when he heard Harry's chuckle.

"Yeah..." Remus said. "But I think you are more stylish than Sirius. You have such a nice hairstyle"

"See, that's what I meant" Harry replied in a voice which informed Remus that he was still grinning. "Sirius must be so jealous of me"

"No. He is very proud of you" Remus replied, echoing both his and Sirius's feelings. If he knew Sirius even a little bit, he knew that he was telling the truth.

"You think so?" Harry asked in a slightly emotional voice.

"I know so" Remus replied as he got up from his chair and went down to sit beside Harry. But as Harry moved aside instinctively, Remus too stretched out beside him and put his arms around Harry's shoulders and started talking again.

"You know Harry, after you were born, Sirius used to hang around you more than James ever did. You were the apple of his eye" Harry looked at Remus with wide, moist eyes as he heard all this. "Lily used to shout at Sirius 'Don't bring any more sweets' 'Don't take him on your motorcycle' 'Don't do this' 'Don't do that'...but Sirius...he never did anything he was told to. He always had his way and Lily also knew that he would never do anything which might harm you"

"What did dad say to all this?" Harry asked expectantly.

"You dad had a lot of fun with your mom regarding Sirius" Remus said with a sad smile as the old memories came flooding back. "He used to ask her who was your real father...and then...then Lily would get really mad. She would curse him or rather try to curse him because he was so fast, he was always out of the house in an instant. Even Sirius laid a claim to you once. I will never forget that day"

"What happened?" This question came from, surprisingly, Tonks. Apparently, Tonks had slipped in unnoticed. Acknowledging the presence of Tonks with a smile, Remus continued.

"Well...you were flying with your dad but something seemed to be wrong. Lily suggested that you might want to play with Sirius because, evidently, your dad and Sirius had messed up your priorities. At that moment, Sirius said that you just wanted to play with your '_real_' dad". Harry chuckled at this but stopped quickly enough so as not to interrupt the story. "Lily was shocked for a moment and Sirius was smiling like mad. At that moment, your dad said '_Harry has every right to play with his real dad. C'mon Harry, let me take you to your dad_'"

"And?" Harry asked, trying to visualize the scene.

Remus smiled and said "And the world saw the fury of Lily Evans Potter. She ended up giving painful boils to both your dad and Sirius and cursed Sirius's bike so that it would never be able to fly again"

"Where were you all this time?" Tonks asked.

"I was sitting in the lawn and reading _The Daily Prophet_" Remus replied.

"What happened next…what happened next? What happened to the bike then?" Harry asked anxiously. He could never have enough of his parents and his late godfather.

"That's another long story" Remus replied but he felt that Harry wanted to hear it now. Even in the darkness around, he could almost feel every emotion of Harry and, for a moment, he wondered as to how close he had become to him. Not wanting to disappoint him, Remus said "Now, Sirius knew that..."

No one knew how time flew by as they talked till well past midnight. It was lucky that Dobby served them dinner in Harry's bed otherwise they might have forgotten all about food. Even though the stories were fascinating, nature was not to be denied and Tonks fell asleep on a chair with her head on Harry's bed. Soon, Harry was also asleep in Remus's arms but it was a long time before Remus could fall asleep himself. As he watched the silhouette of Tonks and Harry, he wondered about how many people were lucky enough to find such a family for themselves. Clearing the hair from Harry's eyes, he watched his godson until his tiredness got the better of him.

"Where am I?" Tonks asked as she woke up with a stiff neck. She had never had a stiff neck in the past few months in the trunk but today, in spite of all the facilities the trunk provided, she had one. As she raised her head to look around, she saw Remus and Harry sleeping in each others arms but the most remarkable thing was the peaceful expression on each of their faces. She had never seen either of them being so relaxed in all these months in the trunk. As she looked at her watch, she saw that it was half past seven and it was most unusual for Harry to be so late. Seeing that she had no other choice than to wake up Harry (School!!!), she shook him hard by his shoulders.

"Wake up or you will be late for your classes" Tonks said. One look at the watch and Harry was out of the bed in a flash. Remus, who had been awakened by the voice of Tonks, smiled at her.

"Did he sleep well?" Remus asked.

"Looked like an angel when I got up" Tonks said with a smile and Remus too smiled at this bit of information. As he got up to leave the room, he turned back and said "You know Tonks, today I feel that I have fulfilled my destiny". With a smile fixed on his lips, Remus left the room.

**&&&&**

"Who's ther'"

"It's me Hagrid" Harry replied. Soon, the half-giant opened the door to let inside his favorite student in Hogwarts.

"How have ya been?" Hagrid asked as he pulled Harry into a bone crushing hug. "I have been so worried about ya"

"Hagrid...air" Harry barely managed to say these two words while trying to breathe. "Thanks Hagrid, I feel much better now" he said as Hagrid let go of him, albeit a bit reluctantly.

"So, what have ya been doin'?" Hagrid asked casually but Harry could see that he was casting a nervous glance towards Harry time and again.

"Nothing much" Harry replied. "I have a 45 minute break between the classes and I thought that it had been a long time since I had come here. So I decided to drop in"

"Good for ya" Hagrid said as he offered some rock cakes to Harry. Harry took one of them and politely refused the rest. "I heard you...and...your friends are talking again"

"Yeah" Harry replied casually. "We are back on 'hi-hello' terms"

"I always knew that ya would be back togetha' again" Hagrid said, running his fingers under Fang's ears. "They miss ya a lot"

"So, what's up with Dumbledore?" Harry asked, trying to divert the topic. "I haven't been seeing him around much"

"Yea...He's spending time with old...." Hagrid paused slightly before saying "I mean, he's taking care of things around here"

"What things?" Harry pressed on.

"Young man, ya need not bother yourself with the power" Hagrid said. "No, I shouldn't have said that…I shouldn't have said that" Hagrid added, shaking his head all the time.

"What power?" Harry's curiosity peaked at this. "Is there something here? I mean, death eaters, dementors, everybody seems to be attacking Hogwarts. What is it that they are looking for?"

"They won't get anythin'" Hagrid replied. "Now ya go on to your classes". With that, Harry was almost pushed out of the hut by Hagrid who seemed determined not to reveal anything else.

"What was he talking about?" Harry thought as he walked towards the castle. Earlier it was Snape who had been saying that Dumbledore was being drained and this time Hagrid said something about some power. Was there some powerful weapon in Hogwarts which Voldemort wanted?

Dumbledore had said that Voldemort had wanted to get hold of Gryffindor's sword but, as far as Harry knew, Gryffindor's sword didn't impart any special power to its possessor. It was true that Harry had killed a basilisk using that sword but why would Voldemort be bothered by that? After all, Voldemort would cast the killing curse on Harry and it was unstoppable. Also, it wasn't like Voldemort would stand only a few feet away from Harry which would enable him to use the sword against Voldemort.

The more that Harry thought about this, the more concerned he became. Finally he came to a conclusion which was enough to strike terror in the hearts of many - there was something in Hogwarts which Voldemort wanted desperately.

Classes went on normally for Harry as the slight chill of the month of November started settling in. Even though his mood was almost back to normal thanks to Remus, to Harry it seemed like the calm before the storm. It seemed to him that everywhere he went, there was a chance that he might stumble upon some kind of powerful weapon. Harry knew that he was acting slightly like Moody but he knew he had to be alert all the time. Slowly, as the days passed by, his nervousness seemed to diminish and he seemed to relax. If there was something really dangerous in Hogwarts, then Dumbledore must be handling the situation correctly.

**&&&&**

"Any news?" Harry asked when he was back in the trunk after his classes. It had been over 20 days since the dementor attack and Voldemort's forces had seemed to have gone quite. If someone came into England now, they wouldn't even suspect that a dark lord and his forces were at large in the country.

"Nothing too much except that I had a chat with Fleur" Tonks replied. "Everyone seems to have gone quite"

"Too quite if you ask me" Remus cut in. It was just like in the old days when one failed attack would be succeeded by days of silence and then followed up with a mass attack. At least, this time around they had loads of spying devices set up around the country.

"Yeah…" Harry agreed. "It's quite disturbing. Even Malfoy doesn't seem to taunt me about anything nowadays. He always used to boast about how I would die or how Hogwarts would fall but nowadays…"

"Harry, he's a Slytherin" Tonks said. "You can't expect him to say immature things for long"

"He said them for 5 years to be precise" Harry retorted. "But nowadays…hey, tell me one thing. What is Snape doing nowadays?"

"He dropped out of You-Know-Who's good books" Tonks replied. "Too bad You-Know-Who didn't find about him sooner"

"Tonks!" Remus gave a look at Tonks which caused her to shut up. Turning back to Harry, he said "He is trying to get some death-eaters over to our side"

"What do you mean by that?" Harry queried. "Soon we would have a hundred Snape's on our side? Yuck!"

"Don't say that in front of him, ok?" Remus said with a wink. "Seriously speaking, there are many death-eaters who had been forced to join Voldemort, right?" Tonks and Harry nodded their heads in agreement. "Now that Snape has lost Voldemort's trust, he is trying to use some of these guys to spy for us. His main problem is convincing them that we will win the final war but many believe that the light side is slightly better off due to both you and Dumbledore"

"You mean the Boy-Who-Lived and Dumbledore, right?" Harry asked.

"Yes" Remus replied. "Apart from that, some have been slightly shocked at how their forces couldn't penetrate Hogwarts twice in these past few months. This also has had an effect on many of them"

"I see" Harry said thoughtfully. "How many of them are willing to help us?"

"Snape is still trying to win their confidence. So, right now, we have no one's services at our disposal" Remus clarified. "But Snape hopes to convince at least three death eaters to help us"

"Three!" Harry exclaimed. "Only three! You almost had me convinced that forty to fifty death eaters were willing to defect to our side"

"Are you mad?" Remus asked. "Even if three joined us, or rather spied for us, then also we would have a lot of information to work with"

"Yeah…yeah" Tonks chipped in sarcastically. "Even with so many spying devices around we aren't getting enough information and you expect three death-eaters will serve us better. What if they turned out to be newcomers whom no one trusted, let alone You-Know-Who?"

"We have to trust Snape's judgment on this" Remus replied.

"His judgment?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. "I wouldn't trust him for bringing me a glass of water and you are asking us to trust the guys he brings in"

"He is bringing in no one" Remus corrected Harry. "He is trying to setup a network of spies. They only know that he works for Dumbledore. That's it. The Order is nowhere in the picture"

"I would prefer it that way too" Harry replied.

"What if he ends us passing information which really takes off the Order from all kinds of pictures?" Tonks questioned Remus. "Maybe he would say that there is going to be an attack in London by ten death-eaters and we arrive to find a hundred waiting for us"

"Tonks…when will you ever trust Snape" Remus asked coolly, without any trace of irritation on his face due to the constant doubt being cast on Snape's loyalty.

"Never" Both Tonks and Harry chorused together and burst in laughter.

"C'mon guys, believe me, he is trying his best. We can just hope that the end results are as good as his efforts"

"When did you start liking him so much?" Tonks asked Remus with a nudge at Harry.

"I don't like him but I trust him" Remus replied. "Those two are very different things. In any case, don't you think we are discussing this topic for too long?"

"Yeah" Harry replied. "Have you heard from the twins or Norman Wood lately?"

"I have" Tonks said with a broad smile and it was instantly obvious that she knew something important.

"Ok Tonks, what do you know?" Remus asked.

"They are doing ok" Tonks replied. "They...". At this point, Harry cut short Tonks.

"Tonks, tell me one thing. How much is this security thing making?" Harry narrowed his eyes as he asked this. "I think you have been talking mainly with Norman"

"Damn" Tonks muttered under her breath but was still audible enough for both the males present there. "How did you know?"

"Your smile" Harry replied. "You have this unique smile which is visible only when you are seeing plenty of galleons in your mind"

"You...you..." Tonks seemed lost for words but recovered quickly. "Why...did I do anything wrong if I talked to Norman? I was just checking how fast we can repay your loan. That's all I wanted to know about"

Harry peered closely into Tonks eyes and said "So how could you help it if you were told that you are making enough to buy a castle in a year, right?"

"Right" Tonks gave a firm nod of her head before she understood that she had made a hurried statement. "No...I mean, yes, we are making enough money but no, not a castle"

"Tonks, give the important news first" Remus said.

Tonks became serious and said "The sales are good. Skhoner is selling items at high prices to many anonymous clients, which is good news in a sense. Sarah has developed a user manual sort of thing which shows how to install the security enhanced items. This has also helped sales since some people don't want Norman peering into their houses. We have every reason to believe that these high-paying, non-peering clients have a lot to hide. Apart from that, our items are very popular in the middle class and the poor families too. Almost 40 of the middle class families in London have enquired about our products and out of that, Norman estimates half of them will buy our products. And our products are the number one with the poor families"

"Ok...so there is hope for this business" Remus said.

"Lots of hope I think" Harry commented. "And how much money is coming in? Oh Remus...just look at her smile"

"Shut up" Tonks said, unable to control her smile in spite of being a metamorphmagus. "Ok..ok..I am telling you. We are making a profit of 1000 galleons per month"

"Whoa" Harry said as Remus gave a low whistle. "That's a lot"

"Yup" Tonks replied. "It's coming mainly from our anonymous clients but some rich people are dropping in too. This is just an average estimate and Norman expects it to stabilize into something like 700 a month"

"Hmm..." Remus said at last. "Anyway, we have had a lot of talk tonight. I think it will be best if we said good night for today"

"Yeah" Tonks said as she stretched herself. "I feel tired too"

"Ok guys" Harry said as he proceeded towards his room. "Good night". With that, he closed the door and soon his room was plunged into darkness. As Harry lay in his bed, he felt quite pleased with himself. His mood was now back to it's normal and he and his family members didn't have any underlying tension amongst them. Also, he was trying to make a new start in the direction of his relation with his friends. Yes, he still didn't want to be closely associated with them in public but at least, he could maintain some kind of a healthy relation in private. All in all, the month of November seemed to be ending on a good note for him. It was with a smile that he slept that night.

_"I plan everything to the last detail…" A figure was pacing around in a dark room somewhere and 12 hooded figures were standing in front of him. "…and yet it doesn't work" the chill in the voice could be felt throughout the room._

_"I ask myself as to what could be the reason and I don't find an answer" the figure had stopped pacing and was looking to and fro between two person's, one on his left side and another on his right._

_"How could Lord Voldemort's plans fail?" Everyone in the room shivered at the mention of the name and many squirmed in their places. "First I lost one of my most trusted giants and then the dementors failed me too". There was a long pause after this as all the death eaters felt that their lord was minutely examining them._

_"I don't like waiting too long" Voldemort said at last. "How much longer?" Voldemort asked to the person just to his right. The hooded figure seemed to lose his voice for some precious seconds but said at last "Soon master". He knew he was walking a fine thread between life and death but giving a deadline to his lord would mean setting a deadline on his own life. If, for any reason, his planning got messed up, that would mean the end of his life too._

_"I want it done faster" Voldemort said in a deathly whisper as a huge snake lay before his feet. "My patience is running out and Nagini is feeling hungry too". Sweat broke out on the forehead of the person with whom Voldemort had just had a chat._

_With a hissing voice, the dark lord said "I want the Power of Hogwarts destroyed"_

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Here's the 18th chapter. I had this chapter ready by the 25'th night but couldn't post it due to the tsunami. This chapter (and this whole fic) is dedicated to my uncle, aunt and their family who were lost to us forever in the tragedy. And I hope for the best for all those people out there who are still searching for their loved ones.

**skittles-07** – About gollum from LotR…LotR means Lord of the Rings, right? If that is so, then I have to say I have neither read the books nor seen the movie. So anything which might sound similar is coincidence.

**Civenus** – Harry won't turn dark.

**Talons** – I will check the writings of the authors you mentioned but I fear it will take me many a month to do so. And thanks for your rating :)

**To all those people whose names I don't mention here** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	19. Thoughts

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 19 - Thoughts**

_With a hissing voice, the dark lord said "I want the Power of Hogwarts destroyed"_

**&&&&**

"Mr. Potter…Mr. Potter". Harry was brought back to the reality by the sharp voice of Professor McGonagall. "It seems you are not too much interested in transfiguration"

"That's not the case ma'am" Harry replied without meeting the eyes of his professor. "I am sorry"

"Do you have any idea of what I have been saying for the past 10 minutes?" McGonagall asked gravely. Even though she wouldn't admit it, she was more worried about Harry's well-being than his grades.

"No ma'am" Harry replied, still unable to look straight into McGonagall's eyes. Hermione and Ron, who were sitting in a desk adjacent to Harry's, looked at each other in a concerned manner. Both knew that Harry was thinking about something grave, otherwise he wouldn't be so inattentive. After all, in the past few months, Harry had given Hermione a run for her grades and it was only through sheer hard work and additional study sessions that Hermione had been able to maintain a slender lead over Harry in some of the subjects.

"I thought so" Professor McGonagall said. Coming close to Harry so that only he could hear her, McGonagall said "Mr. Potter, I hope to see you here after everyone has left. We will go through the portions of the class which you missed out". Harry gave a slight nod of his head and sighed inwardly. This was going to be one long day.

"_What is the Power of Hogwarts?_" this question seemed to be haunting Harry for the past 24 hours. This couldn't have been a false memory implanted by Voldemort because Hagrid had also mentioned about some 'power'. Also, even if Hogwarts had been subject to many attacks in the past, Harry didn't think it was possible that the frequency of attacks had been so great. 2 attacks in 3 months, that also when the final war had not started, seemed quite odd.

"_Why does Voldemort want it destroyed?_" this was another of his queries. This 'power' had not been unable to prevent any of the attacks nor had Dumbledore been warned by this so-called 'power'. What was the use of a 'power' of some kind which didn't prevent anything? Also, this power was not something which Voldemort wanted for himself but it was something which he wanted destroyed. That could mean one of the two things - either he feared that Harry would be able to use it against him or he would be unable to handle it himself and wanted it destroyed forever. The longer Harry thought about this, the more confusing the situation seemed to become.

"_Who was that hooded death eater?_" thought Harry about the person who had said that the power would be destroyed 'soon'. Harry could swear that it was the same wizard with whom he had fought at Azkaban and, from what he had heard from Macnair, this guy seemed to be the new Bulgarian recruit. He didn't look too much of a recruit to Harry and he seemed to have become Voldemort's most dependable servant along with Bellatrix. If only Snape had still been spying for them, Harry thought with a sigh. Even though he hated Snape, he knew that Remus had a point when he said that he trusted Snape with his job. Snape was like a calm cold-blooded person who would do anything to reach his goals. After all, it was Snape who had worked for Dumbledore so efficiently for so many years with his heart in his hands. God only knew how many times he might have encountered life-threatening situations but right now, Harry dearly wished that Snape had been still spying for them.

"Class over" Professor McGonagall's voice seemed to bring Harry out of his day-dreaming. As he looked at his professor, he saw that she was surveying him closely. One by one, Harry saw everyone leave the room while he remained seated at his place.

"I would like you to speed up your work Mr. Weasley" Professor McGonagall said to Ron who seemed to be the last person remaining in the class apart from Harry. Ron was taking an incredibly long time to get the parchments and books into his bag while Hermione was waiting nervously at the doorway. "I won't start talking until Mr. Potter is the only student remaining" McGonagall made it clear to Ron that there was no point in trying to listen to what she had to say to Harry. Ron got the hint and quickly cleared out his desk. Soon, Harry and McGonagall were the only remaining people in the classroom.

"I am sorry ma'am" Harry spoke before McGonagall had a chance to say anything. He knew that if he wanted to save himself from another thirty minutes of transfiguration lectures, then he had to do something quickly. "I will read up the portions tonight and will be prepared for it tomorrow. You can question me tomorrow if you like" Harry added.

"Good" Professor McGonagall said in reply and Harry seemed to relax a bit. "And no..." McGonagall said just when Harry had started to get up to leave you please tell me what is bothering you Harry?"

Harry, who was standing now, sat down again as he realized that transfiguration class was not the important thing here. McGonagall had stopped him to interrogate. Reading the look on his face, McGonagall conjured a chair opposite to Harry and sat down.

"Harry, would you like to hear a story?" McGonagall asked in a most un-McGonagall like way. Gone was the steely voice, the cold mask and everything which made her one of the strictest but fair professors of Hogwarts. In its place, Harry now saw an elderly concerned woman...a woman who seemed as much concerned about him as a grandmother is concerned about her grandson. Slowly Harry gave an affirmative nod in reply.

"There was this student in Hogwarts who had come here with his fate already written" McGonagall started with her 'story'. "It was a terrible fate for anyone; but for a child so small, so innocent..." McGonagall gave a shudder at the thought. "Well...he knew about his fate and knew that only death could end his ordeal. I even think he might have tried to kill himself but I don't know for sure. He used to have terrible nightmares about what might happen to him. Anyway..." McGonagall paused as she seemed caught in a wave of emotions. "...anyway, he reached out for help. Help from his friends, his teachers and everyone who were sympathetic to him. This help was mainly emotional in nature because no one could do anything to change his fate"

After a long pause, in which Harry was thinking who the person might be, McGonagall started talking again "Harry, it must be very tough on you. I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like when there is a dark wizard trying to kill you. But I assure you that we are here for your help. Anytime you need anything, just ask, ok?" Harry looked long and hard at his transfiguration teacher as if he was trying to get to the real meaning of her words. At last he gave up his attempts and took the words at their face-value. It was obvious that McGonagall was very worried about him and wanted to help him out if he needed it.

"I will keep your advice in mind ma'am" Harry replied politely. He knew he had to talk about his problems with someone and, after this advice session, he sure was going to talk to Remus and Tonks. They might be able to figure out something.

"Ok Mr. Potter" McGonagall seemed to be back in her normal behavior. "You might go now. From the next class onwards, I would like you to be more attentive"

"Yes ma'am" Harry replied and started to walk out of the room when he realized he had something to ask. "Professor, this student you had been talking about...who was it?"

"He was a close friend of you father Mr. Potter..." McGonagall replied without even looking up from the work at hand. She seemed busy in gathering all the books and parchments and, for some reason, she was doing it in the old muggle-way. "...A friend whose boggart turns into a full moon"

**&&&&**

Remus and Tonks kept glancing at each other as they saw Harry fidgeting around with his food. It was quite obvious that he was in deep thought but it seemed to be more intense than usual. As they kept stealing glances at Harry in between eating, Harry seemed to have come to some sort of a conclusion.

"I have something to tell you guys" Harry said nervously, not daring to meet the eyes of either of the two sitting near him. He shivered from the very thought of what their reactions would be when they heard that he had been keeping his visions a secret from them.

"Spit it out" Tonks said after over a minute's silence. Whatever was coming their way was not going to be good news and one glance at Remus's features confirmed her fears that he was thinking along the same lines.

"Shut u..." Harry cut off his agitated tone and offending words and held up his hands in a sign of apology. "Sorry...I didn't mean to shout. I am just slightly disturbed"

"What is the matter Harry?" Remus asked in a soothing voice while at the same time he glanced at Tonks to indicate to her that it was best if he did the talking. Tonks gave a sigh and gave an acknowledging nod.

"Well...you see Remus..." Harry glanced from Remus to Tonks, who had a hurt expression on her face "...I...I have been having some..." Harry gulped visibly and seemed unable to finish the sentence.

"Visions?" Tonks asked sharply. If that was the case then it was too important for her ego to get in her way. Harry gave an affirmative nod which caused Tonks to let out an audible gasp.

"How long?" Remus asked in a stern and cold voice and Harry felt as if a whip had grazed his back.

"Not for long" Harry answered quickly. At this, Remus gave a slight cough to indicate that he was not satisfied with the answer. "A few months...?" Harry's words came out more like a question than a statement and it seemed that he was trying to check which answer would satisfy Remus. Getting nothing other than a cold stare from Remus, Harry decided it was best to do what Tonks had said - to spit it out.

"Ever since the summer holidays" Harry said as fast as he could manage without being incomprehensive.

"Wha..." Tonks question got stuck in her throat as she understood that Harry had been having these nightmares for many a month. After all, the trunk provided him with loads of time to have nightmares.

"I see" Remus said without any expression in his voice. "Since you haven't told us any of it till now, I think that you have had a more-than-interesting vision this time around, right?"

"REMUS...HOW COULD YOU BE SO INSENSITIVE?" Tonks was trying her best to not shout but couldn't help it. "He has been having nightmares for god knows how long and you are asking him about what he saw? You-Know-WHo could be showing him visions this time around too"

"No" Harry tried to speak in a confident voice but lowered his gaze as the piercing eyes of Tonks dug deep into his. This was going to be trouble.

"No?" Tonks asked slowly. "NO? Oh...I forgot, you are the mighty Potter whose name is mentioned in some damned prophecy. How could you be wrong? You must have used your extra gifts to know what is real and what is fake"

"Tonks...I..."

"You what?" Tonks got up from her chair and circled around the table to come closer to Harry. For a temporary moment Harry saw a beater club appear near Tonks and he shivered at the thought of what Tonks might do. "You what? And you...don't try saying anything" Tonks pointed at Remus as she came to a standstill behind Harry's seat.

"You are his godfather, right? Don't you think he needs a lesson...a lesson which he would remember all his life?" Remus went back to his food since his assessment of the situation read 'critical'. "And you..." Tonks started pacing behind Harry. "You hide things from us initially - forgiven. You stay away from your friends - no comment". Harry knew that Tonks was about to count out all his mistakes to him. "You duel with some duplicates...no...triplicates...no n-licates and get bloodied - forgiven. Oh...I forgot...you acted a hero in Azkaban - forgiven. You also went up against some giants - no comments. You went after the dementors - forgiven. And now...now you tell us...forget that old man...now you tell me that you…". At this, Tonks stopped her pacing while Harry gritted his teeth and closed his eyes in anticipation that something dreadful was coming his way. And he was right. The next moment, Tonks had thrown a full-blooded punch at Harry's face which threw him out of his seat and he crashed near Remus's feet.

"That will teach you not to meddle with me anymore" Tonks said as she got up. She had lost her balance and had tripped over but her anger was so great that she had still managed to hit Harry with her full force. "Now..." Tonks stuttered slightly as she saw a small gash near the left side of Harry's lips. She had been driven so much by her anger that she had completely forgotten about the ring she was wearing on her right hand middle finger. It was a ring which had once belonged to Sirius and she had found it in the box of items which Remus had given to her on her birthday and the ring had cut across Harry's face.

"Now...now..." Tonks seemed unable to finish her sentence and soon her expression changed from one of anger to one of shock. Remus, in the meantime, was helping Harry to his feet and was shaking his head in disappointment. "Oh my god..." Tonks finally managed to say as she rushed towards Harry with tear-filled eyes. "I am _so_ sorry Harry" Tonks said even as she took out her wand. "What were those healing charms...what do you do...damn it!" Tonks threw away her wand in desperation and returned to her seat almost on the verge of tears. Dobby, who had been seeing the whole thing, quietly placed the wand near Tonks and went back to the kitchen again.

"Now that Harry has confessed something important to us..._yet again_..." Remus said in a normal manner. "...and that you have given him his punishment..." Remus looked at Tonks for a moment before continuing. "...I think we better listen to what he has to say". With that, Remus waited patiently as Harry sat down in his chair and muttered some healing spells on himself.

"I am sorry Harry" Tonks said in a whisper but Harry waved it off. After all, getting punched was much better than been hit by a beater club.

"This thing has to remain only between us" Harry told the other two who nodded in response. With that, Harry began to tell them about all the visions he had had starting with the first vision he had after returning to Privet Drive.

"Are you sure that You-Know-Who is not doing this to you?" Tonks asked in a hesitant voice after Harry had finished his account. Remus looked deep in thought while Harry answered in the affirmative to Tonks.

"Voldemort cannot detect your presence?" Remus asked in a thoughtful voice. To him, that was the most befalling of all the things which Harry had said that evening.

"No" Harry replied confidently. "At least I don't think so"

"Accidental legilimency" Remus said, more to himself than to the others.

"What?" Harry asked in a puzzled manner at which Remus understood that he had been heard by the others also.

"Oh...I was just thinking whether this is some kind of accidental legilimency or not" Remus said. On seeing the blank look on Harry's face, he went on to explain. "You can perform legilimency only on the person in front of you, right?" Harry nodded in reply. "Does that mean that you cannot perform legilimency on the people you can't see? Well...no one knows the answer to that for sure. Many great wizards have had these kinds of visions but mind you, they were not seers. They did not see the future but only the present". Once again a nod came from Harry.

"You and Voldemort have a relation between yourselves and he used this to great effect last time" Remus continued with his explanation. "Both of you could see some important events happening. Now, consider this..." Remus said as he started to look more of the DADA professor which he had been. "...What happens if both of you are good at Occulmency? I am not saying that you are as good as Voldemort...it's not feasible...but still, you are better than most people of your age. Over such a great distance, even Voldemort wouldn't be able to penetrate your mind now. Maybe if he was standing in front of you..." Tonks gave a sharp kick to Remus from under the table which effectively caused him to resume with the topic on hand.

"Like I was saying, what happens when you are both good at Occulmency?" Remus asked Harry whose reply came with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sometimes...well, _very_ few times, one has a vision of the other. This is completely involuntary in nature and it comes at rather odd times. Even if you tried to break into Voldemort's mind, you will not be able to do so but suddenly…zap...something hits you...and you have a vision"

"It means..." Harry started to talk in a slow manner but Remus didn't seem to have heard him.

"This is what is known as accidental legilimency. It was something..."

"...Voldemort can be having visions about me too" Harry said in a slightly raised voice as he tried to understand the consequences of what Remus had just said.

"What did you say?" Remus asked, slightly wondering why Harry had cut him off.

Getting no response from Harry, it was Tonks who spoke up, albeit in a low, fearful tone. "He said that You-Know-Who could also be having visions..."

"Yeah" Remus said slowly as he understood Harry's fears. If Voldemort really had visions of Harry, then it would be _really_ difficult for Harry to fight him. After all, all Voldemort needed was a vision and he would know that Harry was preparing himself for a final showdown.

"Harry..." Tonks said "...you don't have to worry about that"

"Nice try Tonks but I won't laugh at such a stupid joke" Harry replied sarcastically. All three sat silently for a few moments as they tried to assess the situation and they all knew that it was a really sticky one. It was Harry who spoke first and, quite unexpectedly, his voice seemed quite normal.

"You know what..." Tonks was surprised to see Harry smiling wryly at them. "...someone once said to me - What is going to come will come and I will have to meet it when it does. So, I think, we don't have to worry too much now"

"That's true" Remus said. "But you have to be extra careful from now onwards. Even then...anyway, what did you say about the Power of Hogwarts?"

"Voldemort is trying to destroy it" Harry said. "I think that Wormtail tried to sneak in many times to get it but failed. But that wouldn't explain the dementor attack"

"In fact it does" Tonks said this time. "Dementors are one of You-Know-Who's most prized fighters, if I may say so. They are not effected by most of the curses and yet they can destroy armies of wizards and witches"

"Yes..." Remus said, picking up the thread of conversation. "They could have got the better of the people at Hogwarts and gone to Dumbledore's office easily"

"And then?" Harry asked.

"And then...hmmm...that is the point here. What happens next?" Remus pondered aloud. "Dumbledore is not foolish enough to leave his office unguarded if there really is something _that_ important here. Everyone would go to his office first"

"Right" Tonks agreed. "I don't think it is something physical. Rather..." all of Tonks mental sensors seemed to be working overtime. "...can't it be some magic spell?"

"It could be" Remus replied. "But what is the use of a magic spell unless it keeps Hogwarts safe?"

"What if it is not meant to keep Hogwarts safe?" Tonks asked suspiciously which caused Harry's head to snap in her direction. The current tone of Tonks voice was like that of a detective nearing his (or her) target.

"What do you mean Tonks?" Remus asked.

"What if the spell is being used to keep Harry safe?"

**&&&&**

"_Great_" Harry thought as he made his way towards the charms classroom. "_What else can one ask for in life? Orphan from the age of one year; brought up by dreaded relatives; marked by a dark lord as equal or semi-equal or god knows what; will either kill or get killed; and now, one of the greatest sorcerers of all time is protecting me with some unknown power_". Harry shook his head in despair. "_I think I will leave all this studying and stuff and will start writing a novel or two. Or maybe Voldemort can fight me in some fund-raising wizard duels_". Harry snorted at this thought and drew some stares (in addition to the normal ones).

The whole day passed by in a blur as Harry thought about nothing other than what he had started calling as the Power. Every turn he took, every tree in the grounds, every hidden passage in the castle, every corner, everything seemed to be of suspicious nature to him. It was as if he would find himself in some field of energy generated by the Power and he would be indestructible. At least, that was what Tonks had said and, in a way, she could be right. After all, Harry had come out unscathed in the two battles at Hogwarts and this couldn't be a coincidence.

But what if Tonks was wrong? After all, Dumbledore may be setting up some kind of an army to protect Hogwarts. Or maybe even attack Voldemort. Anything was possible. Maybe 'Power of Hogwarts' was some kind of code language being used by Voldemort. No, Harry thought, Voldemort wouldn't resort to code languages. At least, there was no such record of him ever using code languages or signals and there was nothing gained by thinking that he would be doing so. Then what was this thing which Voldemort wanted to be destroyed?

"Hi" came a familiar sound when Harry was leaving the library in the evening.

"Oh...Hi Cho. How are you doing?" Harry asked with a smile in spite of his overall bad mood.

"Ok I guess" Cho replied as she fell in step with Harry. "So, how come you are always in the library?" Cho asked.

"I don't think it says anywhere that only Ravenclaws _should_ use the library" Harry replied.

"I see" Cho replied. "So Harry Potter is giving Hermione Granger a challenge in some subjects with intensive study"

"Word does get around here fast, doesn't it?" Harry asked without even bothering for a reply. Cho just smiled at this.

"Harry, don't you miss flying?" Cho asked a bit uncertainly.

"Why do you ask?" Harry questioned in reply.

"Well...no one sees you around on a broomstick anymore" Cho replied. "And everyone knows that you love flying more than anything else"

"Maybe some day I will make up for it all" Harry replied. He did miss flying a lot. The more he thought about it the more he felt that he didn't have the words to describe just how much he missed his favorite activity. All for the greater good, he consoled himself with these words.

"You know Harry..." Cho said. "...it was nice seeing you in the opposition team and competing against you. But now, with you hardly ever coming to the grounds...well..."

"Why do I have a feeling that I will be flying soon enough?" Harry asked mockingly. "Maybe I require some practice"

With a smile on her face, Cho said "A lot of people would love to see you back in practice. No one can have enough of you on your Firebolt"

"But I have heard that Malfoy has got one for himself. Isn't it true?" Harry asked Cho.

"Oh yeah" Cho rolled her eyes. "We sometimes forget it is a Firebolt and mistake it for a Nimbus 2001"

"That bad?" Harry made a peculiar face to show his distaste for Malfoy's flying abilities.

"Yeah" Cho replied. "If Ginny had one, Malfoy would end up getting some lesson's in flying a Firebolt properly. And the way he flaunts it, you would think that he is Victor Krum"

"Well, that means Malfoy hasn't changed too much" Harry said carelessly as they turned another corner. "Good for all of us that he is still acting as stupid as last year"

"But he is not" Cho corrected him. "Malfoy has been very quite this past 2 months. We suspect he is planning something"

"With whom? Crabbe and Goyle?" Harry raised an eyebrow as he said this. "No...he wouldn't do that. Maybe his father has asked him to lay low for a while"

"But why?" Cho questioned him. "I don't know what has happened but Malfoy doesn't seem like the one we knew. He is avoiding trouble as much as possible"

"Good news for all of us, isn't it? After all, my first five years were spent worrying about him; otherwise I would have beaten Hermione in the O.W.L's". Cho giggled at this comment from Harry.

"Well, here we are" Cho said as they reached the fork in the passage.

"See you around Cho" Harry said with a smile as Cho said a quick 'good night' and left. It was already past 8:30 pm and Harry wanted to be back in the trunk to have dinner with Tonks and Remus. Quickly making his way towards the Gryffindor Tower, he turned around a corner and stopped dead in his tracks seeing the figure in front of him.

"Harry Potter, I need to talk to you"

"Rowena, what are you doing here now?" Harry asked in bewilderment. "Shouldn't you be in the great hall eating your dinner?"

"But our talk is more important" Rowena said urgently while casting fervent glances around. "Should we go to the room?"

"Hmmm..." Harry said as he made a mental calculation as to whether there would be D.A. members present or not. Rowena seemed to have read his thoughts and put his doubts to rest.

"There is no one there now. I checked it a few minutes ago"

"Ok" Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders and led the way to the room of requirements. On reaching the room, he found that it was indeed empty.

"So..." Harry said when he was alone with the little girl. "...what did you want to ask me?"

"If I am in danger, will you protect me?" Rowena's voice was very calm as she posed this question to Harry.

"Excuse - me?" Harry seemed slightly stunned at this blunt question. "Are you in some kind of danger now?" Harry asked earnestly as soon as he had recovered his senses. "If you are then we will be..."

"No" Rowena cut him off. "I just wanted to know if you would help me if I got into trouble. The other Slytherins don't like me too much"

"I am very sorry to hear that Rowena" Harry said. He knew how it was to feel being hated by others and he didn't want this little girl to withstand such a situation. Kneeling in front of her to come down to her eye level, Harry said "Look Rowena, anytime you are in trouble, you can go to the D.A. members. They will always help you"

"And you?" Rowena sounded slightly disappointed that Harry had not mentioned his name in his statement just now.

"Me too" Harry said as he ruffled the hair of the little girl. "If you don't want to go to the D.A. members, then you can always come to me"

"Anytime?" Rowena asked, her black eyes burning like charcoals in delight.

"Anytime" Harry replied, much to the delight of Rowena. "But tell me something, has anyone threatened you?"

"No" Rowena replied. "But they don't like me ever since you saved me"

"I am sorry for that" Harry said regretfully. "I didn't want to create a barrier between you and your house members"

"Don't worry about it" Rowena replied casually, much to Harry's surprise. "It's better to have Harry Potter on your side than some dim-wits who only follow orders of their seniors"

"Whoa...you are quite the modern, independent woman" Harry said with a smile which caused Rowena to blush. "Oops...sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you". Harry knew that winning the trust of a Slytherin was very difficult but losing it was very easy. It was necessary to maintain a very diplomatic relation with all of them irrespective of their age.

"No problem" Rowena replied with a smile. "I should go now before anyone misses me" she added with a look at her watch. With her cold demeanor back in place, she waved at Harry and was gone. Harry waited for a few minutes and then exited from the room himself. On his way back he felt good about the fact that a Slytherin had come to a Gryffindor with the prospect of a friendly relation. At least there had been some progress in the inter-house relations.

**&&&&**

"Any progress on the Power?" Harry asked as soon as he entered the trunk. Tonks and Remus were spending as much of their free time as possible on trying to find out something about this unknown power and it had become Harry's habit to ask this question as soon as he entered the trunk.

"Nothing yet" Remus replied without even looking up from a dusty old book which he had open in front of him. There had been no progress ever since Harry had told them about his visions a few days ago.

"Hey Harry..." Tonks called out from her room. "Doesn't You-Know-Who mention anything about what this power is all about? Maybe he could give the name of a book which mention's it."

"I will try to ask him the next time I have a vision Tonks" Harry shouted back while throwing down his bag on the couch. He had a lot of homework to do but that was the last thing on his mind.

"Hey, maybe I can turn into Dumbledore and go to meet Hagrid" Harry's eyes widened at this sudden thought. "And then..."

"And then..." Tonks cried out from her room. "...you can say to Hagrid that you had a memory loss and Hagrid should tell you all about the Power, right? Great idea. You know, these kind of ideas will really help you beat You-Know-Who"

"Shut up Tonks" Harry shouted back. What Tonks was saying was the truth. Even Hagrid wasn't dumb enough to fall for a trick like that.

"It's cheating Harry..." Remus added. "...and believe me, you will feel miserable if you cheated Hagrid. He is too good a guy to be cheated and he loves you dearly"

"You are right" Harry said despairingly. It was true that Hagrid loved him dearly, maybe as much as Remus if not more, and Harry couldn't possibly cheat him.

"What do we do now?" Harry thought aloud as he stretched himself. "Only if it had been Hermione instead of you two, then she..."

"SHUT UP" Tonks shouted from her room. "How dare you try to compare my intelligence with Hermione's?"

"Sorryyyyyyyyyyy" Harry replied. "I didn't know you were _that_ intelligent"

"I sure am intelligent" Tonks shouted back while Harry tried to visualize the picture of Tonks reading book after book during her school years. "I was the best in my class"

"I know" Harry replied. "Professor McGonagall told me that you were the only person studying in Hogwarts that year". Remus snorted at this while Harry was sure he heard a grunt coming from Tonks's room.

"By the way Tonks, which house had the privilege of having you?" Harry gave a wink at Remus as he asked this.

"I won't tell you" Tonks replied defiantly.

"Please Tonks..." Harry asked in a pleading voice. "I really want to know. Please...please...please..."

"Ok...ok. No need to say any more please's" Tonks replied. "I was in Gryffindor". At this, Tonks heard a strange gurgling sound coming from the hall and a second later she heard Remus laughing like mad. Going out to inspect what had happened, she found Harry...no...another Tonks sitting on the couch, with a replica of Gryffindor's sword in one hand and a huge pile of books in front of her (or rather him).

"Oh Remus..." The _other_ Tonks said in a girlish manner. "Could you please pass me my brain-enhancing potion? You know, I have to...oh my...look at that girl. She looks just like me"

"Argh. Potter..." the real Tonks bared her teeth as she said this.

"Ahh...look at her" the _other_ Tonks said in an astonished manner. "She seems bad"

"Ok...ok..." Tonks put up both her hands and tried to calm herself while Remus seemed to be having difficulties in getting himself under control and was almost rolling on the floor in laughter. "I am not required here. I think I better pack up and go". With this, the real Tonks turned around and walked into her room, banging the door behind her.

"Tonks!" Harry shouted as soon as he had transformed back. "Sorry...I am sorry. Open the door". Harry shouted and started to bang on the front of Tonks door. "Open the door". Harry kept shouting and banging the door. At this moment, Tonks opened the door and Harry's fist landed straight on her forehead, causing her to stumble backwards.

"Ouch" Tonks said as she pressed her hand on her forehead. "Why did you hit me?"

"Oops...Sorry" Harry said in a frightened manner. "I was banging the door and you suddenly opened it"

"But that's what you were asking me to do, isn't it?" Tonks asked in an enraged manner. "You asked me to open the door and..." Tonks stopped talking as she saw Harry coming closer towards her. All her anger melted away when Harry pressed his hand on her forehead and started rubbing it slightly.

"Sorry Tonks" Harry said hesitantly. With Tonks, you never knew when a punch was coming towards you.

"Ah...n...no prob...lem...no problem" Tonks was having slight difficulties in making herself clear which only led Harry to think something else was wrong too.

"You ok?" Harry asked concernedly. "Why are you sweating?"

"Nothing" Tonks replied quickly. Not wanting Harry to fuss over her any longer, she quickly added "Don't worry, I am not going anywhere. Just leave me alone for some time. I have to...err...check out something more on this power thing". Tonks pointed at some books which were open on her bed and was relieved to see Harry nod in reply.

"Ok. But hey, I am sorry for what I did" Harry stopped at the door way to say this. "I didn't mean to..."

"No problem" Tonks replied. "Don't you have anything to do?"

"Oh yeah..." Harry smiled gratefully at Tonks. This time he had got off easily. "I think I will take a shower and get my homework done". With that, Harry left the room. Tonks rushed to close the door but her hasty actions were noticed by Remus who was passing by her room towards his own.

"Hmmm..." Remus had a naughty grin playing on his face and Tonks blushed at this.

"What?" Tonks asked. "Stop bothering me, ok?" With that, Tonks banged the door on the face of Remus who was still grinning.

**&&&&**

"Hi Sarah"

"Hi" Sarah smiled at seeing the disguised Harry enter the store of 'Sknoher Security Services'. Because there were some customers present in the store, she dared not call him by his name.

"Where is Norman?" Harry asked.

"There" Sarah pointed out Norman Woods who was giving a demonstration of some devices to a family of four. Norman looked very busy in his work and Harry didn't want to disturb him.

"So, what are you doing here?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing much except for an interview with the goblins" Harry replied.

"Goblins?" Sarah looked surprised. "They asked you for an interview?"

"Let me re-phrase it" Harry said. "I have to give a report of a new product of the goblins to the press"

"I see. Is it the galleon-purse you carry around?"

"How did you know?" It was Harry's turn to look surprised.

"We have had lots of wealthy customers but none of them has it" Sarah replied. "My guess is that you are the first person to use it"

"Well...yeah" Harry replied, thinking of the circumstances in which he had got the purse. "It will be soon open for everyone"

"Rather, for those who can afford it" Sarah corrected Harry who nodded in reply. It was true that this purse was not a common man's item.

"Anyway, I sh..." Harry paused and looked around cautiously. The wizard radar had just started thumping on his chest and that was not a good thing. "See you later". Harry said quickly and left the shop leaving behind a bewildered Sarah.

"Now, who is here?" Harry murmured to himself as he stood near the doorway of another shop and scanned the area. "And..."

"If you don't have anything to do then get out of my way" Harry heard a cold voice speak from behind. Turning around, he was face-to-face with Severus Snape.

"Please move. You are blocking the exit" Snape repeated again. It then stuck Harry that he was still in disguise and hence Snape had not recognized him. In fact, if he had not heard wrong, Snape had used the word 'please'.

"Sorry" Harry said and quickly moved away. Snape looked suspiciously at Harry for a millionth of a second and left. As Snape went out of sight, the thudding against Harry's chest reduced and finally disappeared, taking along with it the hope of capturing a death eater. Giving a last look at the shop from which Snape had exited, 'Rare Potions Ingredients for Professionals Only', Harry proceeded towards Gringotts.

**&&&&**

"How did it go?" Tonks asked when Harry returned from his interview with the press.

"Part of a Sunday wasted" Harry said as he entered his room to drop off some of his things.

"I see" Tonks said.

"I met Snape there" Harry called out.

"What?" Tonks asked. "Snape?"

"What was he doing there?" Remus was always concerned whether Harry would be able to maintain his cool if he was face-to-face with Snape in a place where there was no one to stop him.

"Buying some ingredients" Harry said as he came out of his room. "Seems like he is not satisfied with his job as the DADA professor"

"Actually making potions is Snape's hobby" Remus said. "Whenever he used to be free in school, he used to dwindle with potions"

"Why can't he make a killing potion and taste it?" Harry asked so seriously that it took Tonks a second to understand that he was joking.

"Did he recognize you?" Remus asked.

"No" Harry replied with a wave of his hand. "You know what, he asked me to 'please' step aside"

"He did?" Tonks seemed delighted. "Damn...his mommy taught him some manners after all"

"Tonks!" Remus shook his head at the girl but to no avail. "Anyway Harry, I hope you did nothing stupid"

"I was thinking of killing him..." Remus's eyes widened in horror as Harry said this. "...but then I thought I should do that _after_ the war is over. After all, if I am able to kill Voldemort, then I need some motivation to carry on with my life"

"Harry!" This time the glare from Remus pierced the Boy-Who-Lived. "Why do you always pick on him? As for motivation, you might find enough motivation if you look around yourself" The last sentence was said in a much lighter tone by " Tonks gave false coughs at this. "Harry, have you finished all your homework?"

"No" Harry replied, looking a bit curious. Something seemed to be wrong somewhere. "I will do it later on. By the way..." Harry turned towards Remus "...what did you mean by the motivation thing?"

"Forget it" Tonks hurried on to interrupt Remus. "Do your homework now and we could practice some dueling later on. Remus has agreed to take a part in today's lessons"

"Really Remus?" Harry sounded excited while Remus looked daggers at Tonks. Tonks, on the other hand, was almost rubbing her hands in glee.

"Hmmm..." was the only sound that came out of Tonks throat.

**&&&&**

"Hello Professor"

"'ello 'arry" Fleur replied with a smile. The attitude of Fleur had changed considerably over the past few days and she had slowly regained her former self and interaction ability. "It's your extra potions class, right?"

"Yes Professor" Harry replied quite formally and proceeded towards his seat. Harry, on the other hand, had maintained a very formal relation with Fleur for the past few days so that no further misunderstandings took place.

"What are you going to prepare today 'arry?" Fleur asked.

"The feather-weight potion" Harry replied. He had placed his books and other stuff at his desk and proceeded to collect a cauldron and the required ingredients.

"It's quite cold, izn't it? Better start a fire" Fleur stated and, with a spell, a bright fire started burning in the fireplace. In the meantime, Harry had quietly returned to his seat and was working on the potion.

"Christmas iz coming nearer" Fleur said. She was also in a bit of bother for the past few days as she felt a barrier between herself and Harry. It was as if they never knew each other well enough and she could only guess what it must be for Hermione and Ron if Harry did the same to them. Ok, she had helped build the barrier but it was mainly due to what had happened on Halloween night.

"Yes" Harry replied just for the sake of it. Somehow he had a feeling that Fleur wanted to strike up a conversation to lighten up the mood but he didn't want to push it. After all, he had never been good at understanding girls, let alone women and veela's.

"Look 'arry..." Fleur said with a hint of guilt in her voice. "...I know I 'aven't been in ze right state of mind recently and 'ave been acting strangely..."

"It's all right" Harry interrupted her while he kept on slicing the ingredients in front of himself.

"It's not all right" Fleur said in anger. "You are going to be our guests and I am not even talking to you properly. Don't - interrupt - me". Harry stopped his effort to say anything since Fleur seemed to be in a volatile state of mind. "Ze dementors effected me and I waz afraid of ze consequences. I waz afraid of ze losses. That's why I 'ave been behaving weirdly this past month and a 'alf"

"I understand" Harry stopped his work and looked up at his professor. Fleur, who always seemed ever so calm, seemed to be struggling to keep her composure. "Profe...Fleur, no need to worry. You needed some space so I didn't think I should bother you"

"But you act so...strangely" Fleur looked slightly hurt as she said this.

"Look...like I said, I thought you needed some time to sort out things so I didn't bother you" Harry replied. "I do the same thing with Tonks and Remus. Hell...I don't want anyone to disturb me when I am in a bad mood or worried over something"

"That'z it?" Fleur asked cautiously. It seemed that all her fears of their friendly relation breaking up could be wrong after all.

"Yeah!" Harry exclaimed loudly to emphasize his point. Fleur gave Harry a bright smile and seemed quite satisfied with his explanation. After all, Harry never lied unless he was caught in some kind of a drastic situation.

"How'z Tonks?" Fleur asked mischievously but Harry seemed to have missed the twinkling in her eyes.

"Excited" Harry said grumpily. "Don't know why she keeps talking about Paris and other things"

"She will calm down" Fleur replied. "It's 'er first trip after all"

"So what? It's the first trip for me and Remus too but we are not talking all day about how nice this would be...how romantic that would be". Harry rolled his eyes to make his feelings known which only caused Fleur to grin. "What?" Harry asked when he saw her grinning.

"Nothing" Fleur replied and went back to her work. Harry too concentrated on his potion and it was a good twenty minutes before any of them made another sound.

"Fleur...aren't you too young to be a professor?" Harry asked casually. After all, Fleur could be no more than 19 or 20.

"Yeah" Fleur replied.

"Then how did you...?" Harry left the sentence incomplete but the meaning was clear to Fleur.

"I needed a job and 'ogwarts needed a professor" Fleur explained without even looking up. "Professor Dumbledore saw my zesis and liked it; said I would be perfect for zis job. I spent a lot of time training under a professor in France and zen only did I take up zis offer"

"Zesis...oh...you mean thesis" Harry recovered quickly to prevent causing any embarrassment to his professor. "What was your thesis on?"

"Vampirez" Fleur replied off-handedly.

"Vampires!" Harry seemed to be caught off-balance at this but then he thought that, for a thesis, one would obviously have to do something new or out-of-the-ordinary. "Whoa...you studied vampires. But what relation does it have with potions?"

"Vampirez are said to drink only blood" Fleur turned to face Harry and explained. "But zere are certain potions which can be used to produce ze same effect"

"Really? But they have never taught us anything like that" Harry seemed confused.

"You will learn next year" Fleur replied. "As to why no one talks about zese potions...well...I invented it"

"Wha..." Harry's voice seemed to have betrayed him for a second or two as he tried to understand the implications of what Fleur had just said. If she could do something like that then, of course, she had every right to be a professor. As Harry came to terms with this, he gave a low whistle.

"Now now Mr. Potter, why would you whistle in front of a lady professor?" Fleur asked with a smile which made Harry blushed furiously. At least, both of them were happy that the ice between them had been finally broken.

**&&&&**

"Hi Hermione. All ready to go?" Ron asked as soon as Hermione came in sight. This year they were going to spend Christmas at The Burrow and Ron was very excited about the whole planning.

"Yeah" Hermione replied but her enthusiasm level was not at its highest.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked noticing Hermione's behavior. "Anything wrong?"

"What about Harry?" Hermione asked after a slight pause. In a strange coincidence, Harry entered the common room at the moment and headed straight for his friends.

"Telepathy" Hermione said in a low murmur as she watched Harry come towards them.

"What?" Ron asked in a surprised manner.

"Oh…nothing" Hermione replied. "Just a muggle word used to describe legilimency"

"They can do that stuff?" The more Ron heard about what muggles could do, the more puzzled he got. They had such a variety of ways to lead lives without magic that sometimes he wondered whether he should try it for a day or two.

"Yeah…shh" Hermione cut short any of Ron's further questions.

"Hi" Harry said just as Hermione had caused Ron to shut up. Both Ron and Hermione smiled at him and said their respective greetings.

"I am going to France for this Christmas" Harry watched Ron's eyes widen at this but he quickly got a control over his features. "I will be staying at Fleur's place and will be safe"

"Nice to know that" Ron said, although a bit sarcastically. He would have loved it if Harry had come over to his place for Christmas but then again, it would mean that he would get very little time to spend with Hermione alone.

"Have a great holidays Harry" Hermione's smile was much more satisfying.

"Same to both of you. Have you seen Neville?" Harry asked. At this, Ron informed Harry that Neville was in his room and Harry, after exchanging a parting word with his friends, left to inform the chubby boy about his leaving the castle for the Christmas break, or at least a part of it.

**&&&&**

"Remus, what is today's date?" Tonks asked in a bright and bubbly voice. Remus noticed the tone and looked up from the book he was studying.

"22'nd December" came the reply.

"2 more days" Tonks muttered to herself but in her excitement, her muttering turned out to be much louder than she had wanted it to be.

"For the France trip?" Remus asked. Tonks, who looked surprised for a moment, grinned widely.

"Yeah" she nodded her head in a childlike fashion. "We are going to have a wonderful time, aren't we?"

"I really don't know" Remus replied. "Do they even know I am a on Remus" Tonks said. "I am sure they wouldn't mind you as a guest"

"That reminds me..." Remus said. "...some of my friends will be coming along tonight"

"Really?" Tonks sounded surprised. "I didn't know you had a lot of friends"

"They are more friends out of need". At the questioning look from Tonks, Remus explained. "They are all werewolves"

"What the hell!" Tonks jumped up from her seat and some sweat broke out on her forehead. It was only when Remus had started chuckling that she realized that Remus had been playing tricks on her.

"See. You have lived long enough with a werewolf and still you are afraid of them" Remus said.

"No" Tonks retorted. "I am afraid of werewolf packs"

"C'mon Tonks, you have to admit it" Remus replied. "We are not the most famous of people around here. Well...some don't even categorize us as humans either. So you see..." Remus trailed off at this and went back to reading the book open in front of him.

"Don't worry, they will like you all right" Tonks said reassuringly.

"But Tonks, there is a full moon just after Christmas" Remus didn't sound pleased at all as he referred to the date January 2'nd.

"So what?" Tonks asked in a stubborn voice. "You will be back here in the trunk by then"

"Still..." Remus said. "I won't be in the best of shapes in the later stages and I fear Harry's image will take a beating. I mean, who would want a ragged looking man in his house two days before he turns into a werewolf. And you know how I look a few days before that"

"C'mon Remus" Tonks said in a sympathetic voice. "I am sure Harry has worked it out with Fleur. She is a nice girl and her family must be nice too. They wouldn't mind you present"

"Let's see what happens" Remus replied in a tone of finality making it clear that he didn't want to debate on this any longer. After all, it was Fleur's invitation and Harry had accepted it after he had agreed. It was now only a matter of time before he got to know whether the Delacours would hate him as much as many of the other's did.

"By the way, you will be going to Paris with me, right?" Tonks asked Remus again. Remus felt slightly irritated at all this talk about the trip to France but when he looked up to see the happy face of Tonks, his irritation melted away.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I want you to" Tonks replied.

"Why not Harry?" Remus asked.

"Well...Har...no...I want you to come. Harry can come if he wants to" Tonks stammered slightly but recovered well enough.

"How long have you liked him?" Remus asked quite bluntly.

"What?" Tonks was surprised at this. "I...don...don't understand"

With a long sigh Remus spoke again. "C'mon girl...I was your age too. I know that look you sometimes get. I know why you get angry when something happens to him"

"Harry is a...a...friend" Tonks stammered.

"Just like he is my adopted godson?" Remus asked presenting one of the worst analogies.

"Yeah" Tonks almost shouted at this. Remus gave another long sigh. If anyone could compare those two relations, after seeing them, then that person could only be Tonks.

"Tonks..." Remus said in an advisory voice. "...there is a time and place for everything. Christmas and France may be the right thing for you to happen now". Tonks didn't reply and started staring at the book open it front of Remus. It was an altogether different matter that she was sitting opposite to Remus and the writings on book were upside down to her.

"Anyway, you are the best judge of your situation" Remus knew that no one should be forced into making any decision.

A few minutes of silence ensued which was broken by Tonks "Am I wrong?"

"What? Wrong about what?" Remus seemed puzzled.

"Harry is younger than me" Tonks said.

"Everyone knows that" Remus said. "But I don't think his being younger should have anything to do with somebody liking him. And now, even if I took a wild guess, he should be around 18"

"And I would be around 22" Tonks said. At this very moment, Harry entered the room and Tonks warned Remus with a look to indicate that no more discussion on this topic should take place, at least not for now.

"Hello guys. Started packing yet?" he seemed to be in a jovial mood. Whatever happened now was immaterial and he wanted to enjoy the festive season as much as he could.

"Why should we be packing?" Tonks asked. "All we need is the trunk"

"Yeah" Harry replied. "Silly of me to ask such a question"

"What about the others at school?" Remus asked.

"School's almost empty now" Harry replied. "Only a few people from Gryffindor have signed up to stay and two girls from Hufflepuff are remaining behind"

"That's good" Tonks replied.

"Yeah" agreed Remus. "Dumbledore had initially thought that many families would prefer their children to stay at Hogwarts. But now, thanks to some of our products, a lot of families feel more secure"

"I see" Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"So Har, when do we leave?" Tonks was back to her best mood.

"When Fleur says so" Harry replied. Seeing the evil look which Tonks was giving him, he added "Tomorrow evening"

"Really!" Tonks was almost bouncing on her seat in joy while Remus looked pleasantly surprised.

"I thought we were leaving on the 24'th" Remus said.

"That was the original plan but Gabrielle changed it" Harry replied with a smile.

"She seems to be the most powerful person in the whole of France" Tonks was feeling very happy about the new arrangement.

"Don't know about France but she surely seems the most powerful and influential person in the Delacour family" Harry said as he slumped down in a chair. It had been a long time since he had truly relaxed, mentally and physically, and this holiday seemed to be the best way to unwind himself.

"Why can't we leave today?" Tonks asked with great enthusiasm.

"Because Gabrielle wants us to go tomorrow" Remus replied and rolled his eyes in despair. If Tonks had her own way, they would be sitting somewhere in Paris (_why is it so special?_) right now.

"Maybe Gabrielle wants us to come today. Maybe Harry should ask Fleur once more" Tonks was now pacing along in excitement.

"No Tonks" Harry replied. He had his eyes closed and his hands were cushioning his head. "We are going tomorrow"

**&&&&**

"GET UP"

"Oh Tonks..." Harry said grumpily. It had been a long time since he had slept in late and he really wanted to enjoy that feeling. "Why do you have to do this to me every time?"

"We have to go to France today remember?" Tonks asked; the volume of her voice rising and then fading away slightly and Harry guessed that she must be jumping around in excitement (_again!_). Harry raised his head slightly to see the time in his watch and was shocked - it was 5:20 in the morning. Gritting his teeth and feeling even more grumpy, he tucked his head under the pillow and went back to sleep.

"And then we..." Tonks was babbling along when she noticed that Harry was trying to get some more sleep. "Harry...don't you dare go to sleep again" Tonks shouted. "Already I am having problems with Remus and now you start acting like a kid". Instantly, Harry's head shot up.

"Who - is - acting - like - a - kid?" Harry asked. "And my dear Tonks, you will have problems getting up most people at this time. Hey...how did you get up so early?" Tonks opened her mouth to say something when Harry slumped back on the bed saying "Forget it"

"C'mon Harry. Pleeeeeeeeease" Tonks said.

"Ok...ok" Harry said. "Do one thing, ask Dobby to get breakfast ready. I will be there soon"

"Yipee" Tonks shouted in glee. "That's like my...err...our Harry". With that, she went out before Harry could see her red face. No sooner had she left the room that Harry wished the door to shut.

"Hey...open up" Tonks said. "OPEN UP"

It was well past an hour that Harry finally opened the door to find a sullen looking Remus sitting at the table in front of his breakfast, or rather early breakfast.

"Hey Remus" Harry said jovially as he sat down. "You seem to be pretty excited about this trip"

"Harry dear" Remus said through gritted teeth. "Why did you shut the door to your bedroom?"

"I did?" Harry seemed surprised just as Tonks came in. She gave him an evil look and sat down at her usual place.

"Yes dear godson" Remus continued in the same breath. "And then a storm entered my room which refused to leave until I got up. I have been sitting here ever since"

"Oh..." Harry seemed shocked. It was a quarter to seven and that would mean that Remus had been there from a quarter to six onwards. "Thank god that I closed the door...I mean, the door to my room closed itself"

"Oh well...how long have we got to wait?" Remus asked.

"Fleur said we will make a 8:30 start to arrive for breakfast time at her house" Harry answered.

"Oh no" Tonks looked sad at this. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I had told you yesterday night but you were saying something about French perfumes" Harry said.

"You guys talk while I take a nap" Remus said and got up. Instantly a bed appeared alongside the table and Remus was soon deep in sleep.

"I can't believe he is sleeping" Tonks said in disbelief.

"And I can't believe that you woke him up _that_ early" Harry shook his head in disbelief.

"What could I do? I was unable to get any more sleep" Tonks seemed very upset at being said the same thing over and over again though Harry didn't give much thought to it. All it needed for Tonks to hear was 'its time' and she would be back to her old self.

"C'mon…" Harry said at last. "Don't make that face. We will be on our way soon"

"Yeah yeah" Tonks replied just for the sake of it. Soon no one was making a sound and Harry saw this as a perfect opportunity to do some meditation. Slowly an hour dragged by and soon it was time to leave.

"Hey Remus" Harry shook awake his godfather who seemed to be quite refreshed from his nap. "Time to go"

"At last" Tonks said but her happiness was marred by sadness. In her opinion, they had wasted a year in the past one hour or so.

"C'mon Tonks, no need to act like that" Remus said as soon as a glance from Harry told him that Tonks was slightly upset. "You are the one who keeps cheering us up all the time and during Christmas you shouldn't be looking so sad"

"So what?" Tonks asked stubbornly. "Who cares whether I am sad or not?"

"Santa does" Remus said which caused Tonks to smile.

"Yeeeeeeeeah" Tonks said; her eyes wide in delight. "If I stay happy and keep others happy, then Santa will bring me a lot of gifts, right?"

"Oh…don't you think it is cute" Remus turned around to face Harry. "Our little Tonks is growing up so fast and becoming so clever". Harry snorted at this but it didn't effect Tonks.

"Laugh while you can…" Tonks said "…but I am the one who is going to get the gifts. And then…" Tonks held her nose high in the air "…we will see who has the last laugh"

"Last laugh?" Harry looked around with a puzzled expression, a fake one at that. "Can someone _have_ it? What is it? Is it something to eat or drink or wear or…"

"Shut up Potter" Tonks snapped.

"Santa's watching" Harry said in a sing-song tone.

"Oops. Sorry Santa" Tonks said and smiled. "Shouldn't we go now? I don't like keeping French people waiting". Remus rolled his eyes at this while Harry made portkeys for the others to take them to Fleur's office. The last thing he wanted was Tonks and Remus walking around the castle with him and people pointing their fingers at him.

"Ready to go now" Harry said after a few seconds of wand-work. "This is for you…" Harry gave a black marble to Remus and turned over to hand a white marble to Tonks "…and this is for you. Just…" Before he could even tell them, both had pressed the activation points on the marbles and vanished into thin air.

"I think they have finally got used to my portkeys" Harry said to himself. "Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter" Dobby appeared promptly in front of Harry.

"Could you please wait for us at the Delacours mansion or castle or whatever it is?" Harry asked.

"Dobby is delighted that Harry Potter's is asking Dobby to make arrangements for him" Dobby squeaked in delight.

"No" Harry stopped him. "No arrangements for any of us". Dobby's face fell at this. "Go to the Delacours and wait for us. We will be there within 5 minutes"

"Ok Harry Potter" Dobby said with a sigh. Though Dobby liked his job at Harry's place, he sometimes missed the hard work he used to do. After all, all he knew was work, work and more work before Harry came into his life (rather, the other way around) and it was hard to get used to such a lavish life.

"Don't worry Dobby, I think I will find some important work for you to do soon" Harry said in a reassuring manner. Dobby smiled at this and, with a crack, disappeared.

"Now I have to come up with something important for Dobby to do" Harry muttered to himself as he started climbing out of the trunk. "Damn, what have I got myself into again? Anyway, I will think of something soon"

Harry came out of his trunk in his dormitory room and shrunk it to the size of a matchbox. Tucking it away safely in his back pocket, he proceeded towards the dungeons while acknowledging the 'good-byes' on the way. Soon he was with Tonks, Remus and Fleur who looked somewhat in discomfort.

"Any problems Fleur?" Harry asked as soon as he set his sights on her.

"No" Tonks replied. "She's just recovering"

"Recovering? From what?" Harry queried.

"From seeing two people appear out of thin air beside her" Remus replied.

"I see" Harry was relieved to hear the explanation. For a moment he had a feeling that there had been some problem at Fleur's home and somehow the trip could be cancelled. But then, if that had been the case, Tonks would have been moping around. Well, Harry thought, his fears had been unfounded.

"Ok. I think we should go now" Fleur said after another few moments. "Please grab 'old of this" Fleur held out a golden bracelet which she had been wearing. After everyone was securely holding the bracelet, Fleur activated the portkey causing everyone to feel the familiar pull behind the naval. Pretty soon, everyone landed in what seemed to be a garden.

"Welcome to ze Delacour Manor"

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Here's the 19th chapter. Lets see, how many more chapters remain...hmmm...around 4-5 for this fic.

**shadowmonk** – No. Harry is not going to become dark.

**Rhian86** – Yes, my POV changes in the battle with the giants was more than required. Apart from that, whenever I change POV's, I do it to show the reactions of the important characters in the story.

**To all those people who have reviewed** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	20. Holiday Events Part I

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here. From this chapter onwards, all the Delacour's will speak plain English.

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 20 – Holiday Events (Part I)**

"Welcome to ze Delacour Manor"

**&&&&**

"Nice joke Fleur" Tonks said in a sarcastic voice to their hostess. Remus gave a reprimanding glance towards Tonks but Harry didn't even look around. His eyes were glued to the Delacour Manor.

"What joke?" Fleur asked in a surprised voice. Even if she had detected Tonks sarcastic voice, she didn't show it.

"That!" Tonks said as she pointed towards the house.

"That is my home" Fleur replied in an irritated voice which Tonks didn't fail to notice. "It is not a joke"

"That - is - your - home?" Tonks asked slowly. "Remus, did I hear correctly? That is her _home_?" Remus gave a slight nod of his head in reply. "Hey Harry…hey…" Tonks tried in vain to get Harry's attention and slapped him hard on the back of his head.

"Ouch" Harry shouted at his sudden reawakening. "Who hit me?"

"I did" Tonks said in a slightly shaky voice. "Is that place real?" She asked as she pointed her finger towards Fleur's home.

"I…hmmm…" Harry seemed lost for words as his gaze returned towards the place where Tonks was pointing.

Fleur's home could be easily described by one word – huge. It was a huge building which seemed to be about half as big as the Hogwarts castle and it seemed to dwarf the other buildings around it. There was a big lawn in front which could easily be mistaken for a football field. It had four towers which seemed to be trying to touch the clouds. The entrance doorway was big enough to let a giant pass through comfortably and from the looks of it, the interior would be just as big. All in all, Fleur's home seemed to be smaller replica of Hogwarts. Apart from the size, there was only one other difference between the two places. While Hogwarts was in top shape, Fleur's home was in ruins.

"Yes, that is my home" Fleur said after several minutes of inactivity from the other three people present there. "If you expected a rich family, then you will be disappointed". There was a trace of hurt in Fleur's voice.

"Fleur…" Remus said, drawing the attention of the others too. "…if I were to say that I expected something like this then I would be lying. Yes, we expected you to be very wealthy and all…because you look like a princess. But that doesn't mean that we don't like this place" Fleur seemed slightly embarrassed as Remus said these things.

"If you ask me…" Tonks interjected. "…I will say I love the look of this place. Reminds me of my home except that it was slightly smaller". Harry rolled his eyes at this and even Fleur smiled slightly.

"So, would you like to come in?" Fleur asked humbly and all three guests gave an affirmative nod. With a happy smile on her beautiful face, the veela opened the rusty iron gates and proceeded towards the house with her guests.

As the three of them looked closer, the house looked even more battered than it had done before. One of the towers had cracked walls while it seemed like a fire had broken out in another. Most of the walls had damp and some cracks were visible too. Apart from the house, the lawn also looked to be in absolute ruins.

"I wonder how this happened" Tonks said in a low voice so that only Harry and Remus could hear her. "They were very rich at one time for sure". Remus and Harry said nothing but nodded their heads.

Within seconds, all three of them were climbing the stairs to the house. Just as they had ascended all the steps, the great door to the house creaked open and in the midst stood three people while another person sat in a chair which floated in the air. From what Harry could guess, it seemed like a wizarding version of a muggle wheelchair.

"Let me intro…" Fleur had just begun when Gabrielle cut in.

"Harr…Mr. Potter. Thanks for coming". The little girl with big blue eyes said in a hushed tone.

"Elle" Fleur said in a soft yet stern tone. "You shouldn't interrupt in between"

"Sorry" Gabrielle replied.

"First let me introduce my family" Fleur said in a very formal manner. "My father – Steven Delacour. My mother – Stephanie Delacour. My naughty little sister – Gabrielle Delacour". At this, Gabrielle poked her tongue at Fleur for a millionth of a second which was noticed only by Harry and Fleur. Harry couldn't help but smile at the antics of the cute child in front of him. "And this is my elder brother Zesauas Delacour"

As Fleur introduced her family, each of them gave a slight nod and a smile. It was crystal clear that Fleur's mother carried the veela blood in her. Harry could feel her veela charm and thanked his stars that Fleur had made Remus drink a special potion which made him immune to the veela charm. The only exceptional case was Zesauas who seemed devoid of any expression. Also, his movements seemed to be restricted greatly.

After introducing her family, Fleur went on to introduce her guests to her parents and siblings. The formalities done with, the Delacour's politely asked their guests to join them at the breakfast table.

"Harry, do…"

"Shhh" Harry stopped Tonks in mid-sentence. Tonks made a weird face at Harry and turned around towards Remus who put his fingers on his lips and mouthed the word "manners". Tonks looked angry at this but said nothing. Soon, everyone was seated in front of their modest but delicious looking breakfasts.

"Mr. Potter…" Steven Delacour began but was cut short by the polite voice of Harry.

"Please call me Harry" Harry said with a smile. "And that goes for everyone here". Mrs. Delacour looked pleased at this and so did Gabrielle.

"Well Harry…" Mr. Delacour said. "…thank you for giving in to our little daughter's request…"

"I am _not_ little" Gabrielle protested.

"You will always be little to us" Mrs. Delacour put a loving hand on her younger daughter's shoulders whose cheeks were burning red by now.

After checking that his daughter was ok, Mr. Delacour turned towards Tonks and Remus. "Thank you for coming with Harry. You really have no idea what this means to all of us"

"No problem" Tonks replied. "If this breakfast is as delicious as it looks, I will be prepared to come here daily". Mr. Delacour looked slightly surprised at such a response but quickly masked the expression.

"Please excuse her behavior" Remus said politely. "Her mouth is controlled by her stomach and not by her brain". This caused all the people assembled at the breakfast table to smile. Everyone except Tonks and Zesauas.

"Looks like we have a nice little breakfast waiting for us" Mr. Delacour said. "Why don't we stop looking at it and place it where it deserves to be". This caused Tonks to smile and soon everyone was eating happily.

There was complete silence as everyone finished their breakfast. Harry also ate quietly but felt a pair of eyes boring a hole in the back of his skull. He knew that Zesauas was seated behind him but didn't turn around in fear of offending the other members at the table. By the looks of it, everyone at the Delacour family maintained silence during eating and Harry thought it was best if he did the same.

Soon breakfast was over and everyone was sitting in the living room. The living room seemed just like the dining room and the main hall. It was tidy but many places were in a crumbling state. The walls were all damped but otherwise clean. The walls and the ceilings had very few decorations on them but it looked like they had been heavily decorated once. The sofa's and the chairs were comfortable to sit upon but they too were not in the best of shapes.

"Harry…" Mr. Delacour started speaking once everyone had settled down. "…we think we owe you thanks for saving our younger daughter"

"No…please don't say so" Harry replied, slightly embarrassed at the thought that this might become a 'praising' session. "Anyone would have done it"

"Yes" Tonks agreed. "I had done the same for another person once"

"Really?" Harry asked, hoping that the focus of the attention would shift away from him. Tonks nodded her head in reply.

"Was that person unconscious too?" Gabrielle asked curiously.

"Hmmm…No" Tonks replied but didn't say anything else.

"Was he the good guy or the bad guy?" Gabrielle asked again which seemed to make Tonks slightly uncomfortable.

"Good guy" Tonks replied. "But not as good as Harry. By the way Harry, what…"

"Tonks" Remus cut in. "What actually happened with the good guy you rescued?". The Delacour family was looking on curiously at the scene on hand with only Gabrielle sensing that Tonks had dug her own grave.

"What happened?" Tonks repeated in a startled voice. "Oh…you were speaking about that incident. Nothing too important"

"But we would like to hear it" Gabrielle said with a naughty smile on her lips. Remus glanced at the kid and gave her a wink.

"Well…" Tonks looked hesitantly around and found that everyone had an expectant look on their face. Though she knew that Remus and Harry were just faking their curious looks, she had a feeling that the youngest Delacour was faking her look too.

"Well…the guy was caught up in a webbing and…"

"Webbing?" Harry raised his left eyebrow at this. "There wasn't spiderman around, was he?". Almost everyone looked at each other curiously at the mention of some 'spiderman' but no one wanted to break the current thread of discussion.

"NO" Tonks glared at Harry. "Well, he was caught in a webbing and he did not have his wand, so I helped him out. It's natural to help other's, isn't it?" Tonks asked with a bright smile.

"And what did the guy give you for freeing him?" Remus asked.

"I think we should leave that for later" Mr. Delacour had caught up on what was happening and didn't want one of his guests to be embarrassed.

"Yeah!" Tonks said. "We should have something to talk about later on too. Anyway, you were saying something about Harry". Tonks looked around at Harry who gave an evil glare at her.

"Oh yes" Mr. Delacour said, turning his attention back to Harry, much to Harry's dismay. "We couldn't come there because of some…problems at that time" Harry notice a slight hesitation in Mr. Delacour's statement but didn't interrupt him. "But we have listened to what Gabrielle and Fleur had to say about the event and we must say that what you did was an honorable thing"

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me" Harry said, embarrassed at the praise.

"Everyone here thinks highly of you" Mrs. Delacour said with a warm smile.

"And not a day goes by when Gabrielle doesn't talk about you" Mr. Delacour added. The guests didn't comment about the little girl whose cheeks were burning red. It was uncommon for a quarter-veela to get embarrassed so easily but then again, Gabrielle had always been slightly different than the others. She was by far the shyest veela (or quarter-veela) the whole family had seen and that only made everyone protect her even more. Even the fact that Gabrielle would be starting school from next year gave the Delacour's headaches about whether she would be able to overcome her shyness and mix with the others.

"No need to be shy elle" Fleur said in a soothing voice. "We all like Harry, don't we?". Mr. and Mrs. Delacour nodded their heads in agreement but Gabrielle seemed to have heard nothing.

"So Harry…" Mr. Delacour said. "…what do you plan to do during the holidays?"

"I don't know" Harry replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Tonks here wants to visit Paris. Maybe I will go with her too". Seeing the expression on Gabrielle's face, Harry added "Or maybe I will spend time here with Gabrielle. Would you like that Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle said nothing but gave an affirmative nod of her small and elegant head. Both her parents looked at each other and smiled. Harry Potter had turned out just the way they had thought.

**&&&&**

"Everyone settled?" The voice of an ecstatic metamorphmagus could be heard down the corridor. Harry, Remus and Tonks had been given guest rooms on the left tower and Harry had enlarged his trunk as soon as he had entered his room.

"Not yet Tonks" Harry replied as he slumped down on the bed. He wanted some rest and didn't want to get disturbed. "Dobby"

"Yes Harry Potter?" Dobby appeared right beside Harry who had his eyes closed.

"Everything ok here? The other elf's like you?" Harry asked.

"Dobby is not seeing any other elf" Dobby replied glumly. He had also expected a large house with lots of elves working. Alas, he came to find only a large house.

"Hmmm…" Harry sounded thoughtful. "Well, you stay inside the trunk and I will call you when needed. I am sorry you feel lonely"

"Harry Potter is Dobby's friend" Dobby replied. "Dobby is never feeling alone when Harry Potter is there". With that, Dobby vanished into thin air.

"Good Dobby" Harry said in a whisper as he fell asleep.

**&&&&**

"But I want to talk to him" Harry heard a feminine whisper coming out from somewhere in the darkness.

"Wait for some more time" another reassuring voice said.

"I think he has slept too long" a third female voice said without caring to keep the volume down.

"Now I am even hearing Tonks in my sleep" Harry groaned to himself. "And she is complaining as always…ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Harry got up with a scream as he felt himself getting drenched in ice-cold water. Looking around, he saw Tonks vanishing a bucket which was placed just above his head. The other two people in the darkened room were Fleur and Gabrielle.

"Why…brrrr…did you…brrrrrr…" Harry's teeth chattered as he spoke. "…have…to….brrr…do this?"

"Because you were saying bad things about me" Tonks replied with a triumphant look on her face. Fleur seemed amused at the scene while Gabrielle looked slightly dazed.

"And…why can't…brrr….I dry myself?" Harry was repeatedly turning to use the drying spell on himself but to no avail.

"Because I put an everlasting spell on it" Tonks replied. "You have an unlimited supply of water now"

"Take it off…brrrrr…or I will…put a hex on you" Harry threatened Tonks. Seeing the look on Harry's face, Tonks decided it was best to follow Harry's wish and lifted the spell. Soon Harry was feeling much better.

"You people really have a great time together, don't you?" Fleur asked curiously.

"You bet" Harry replied sarcastically as he looked around. The only light present in the room was coming from a candle placed on a nearby table while the outside world was shrouded in darkness. "How long have I been asleep?". Harry asked the others.

"Around 10 hours" Tonks replied. "It's 7:30 in the evening"

"Oh my god" Harry slapped himself on his forehead.

"Yes dear" Tonks replied. "It's been that long"

Harry looked up irritatedly at Tonks and said "It's your fault after all. You were the one who woke us up. If I am not wrong, Remus must be sleeping too, isn't he?". Tonks looked uncomfortable at this statement and did not answer. It was Fleur who informed Harry that his suspicions were right.

"Anyway…" Fleur said before anyone could say anything else. "…it's almost dinner time. You better get ready"

"I am ready" Harry said as he got up. "By the way, who wanted to talk to me? I mean…" Harry hurried on to add. "…who else other than Tonks?"

"It was her" Tonks pointed towards Gabrielle who was hiding partly behind Fleur.

"I see" Harry said. "Well…you two go on while I talk to Gabrielle for a moment"

Gabrielle looked a bit uncertain at this and looked up at Fleur. Harry saw Gabrielle mouth the words 'I don't know' and give a shrug of her shoulders. Fleur patted her on her head and replied "Don't worry, he is immune to veela charm".

"Really?" Gabrielle looked in awe at Harry before lowering her eyes. Her parents had always told her that staring at other people was supposed to be rude.

"Not really" Harry said with a smile. "It doesn't affect me as it does the others but that doesn't mean I am immune"

"I see" Gabrielle nodded thoughtfully. Harry had the feeling that Gabrielle was storing this information in the deep fathoms of her brain.

"Want to talk now?" Harry asked Gabrielle.

"Hmmm…" Gabrielle looked uncertainly at her elder sister who gave a reassuring look. "Ok" she said after a few moments. At this, Fleur and Tonks left the room.

"Now, what did you want to talk to me about?" Harry asked as he sat down on the end of his bed. Gabrielle was still standing near the doorway and made no move to sit down, so Harry conjured up a chair for her.

"_Whoa_" Gabrielle thought to herself while she kept looking at the conjured chair. Even though this was a very easy brand of magic, every bit of magic which Harry performed was special to her.

"Are you going to sit down?" Harry seemed somewhat puzzled because Gabrielle had made no move to sit down.

"Huh?" Gabrielle said. "Oh…yes". With that, she proceeded to take her seat very gracefully.

"Now that you have seated yourself…" Harry said. "…let us get down to the topic you wanted to discuss". Gabrielle gave a nod of her head.

"You see Mr. Potter…"

"Harry please" Harry corrected the little quarter veela. "It's Harry for everyone, remember?"

"Yeah…" Gabrielle's cheeks were flushed red at this. "You see…Harry…I have some friends here"

"Go on" Harry said in a soothing voice. Gabrielle relaxed somewhat at hearing this.

"They all know about you. I mean everyone here knows about you but they did not believe me when I told them I had met you" Gabrielle seemed to talk more fluently with each sentence. Also, Harry could feel a certain amount of excitement building in her voice.

"I told them how you had saved me but they said I was making it up" Gabrielle's voice saddened slightly as she said this. "I had then promised them that one day I would show them that I knew Harry Potter personally"

"Hmmm…" came the voice from Harry's throat. "Am I that famous here? I mean, knowing Harry Potter is that big here?" Harry asked. The last thing he wanted was another fan-following in France.

"You – have – no – idea" Gabrielle said slowly, emphasizing each word so that Harry could understand the true meaning of what she was saying. "I mean…you are Harry Potter, a person about whom everyone has just read in the books. I mean…" Gabrielle seemed very enthusiastic at this point and there was not a hint of shyness in her behavior. "…you are like the 8'th wonder of the world. People say you cannot die…people say you are the greatest wizard of your age…people say you can defeat hundreds of dark wizards in seconds"

"Really?" Harry asked as he gave an inwardly sigh. He was in for some troubling times in France.

"Yes. That's true, isn't it?" Gabrielle asked in nervous anticipation. Seeing the blank look on Harry's face, she explained her words. "You can really defeat dark wizards easily, can't you?"

"No" Harry's reply was as blunt as it could be. Gabrielle's face fell at this. "No one can defeat a good wizard or witch easily" Harry continued. "You have to know spells and strategies etc. to win. I know only one person who can defeat dark wizards easily and that is Professor Dumbledore."

"Haven't you defeated any dark wizard?" Gabrielle asked meekly.

"Yes I have" Harry replied. This seemed to lift the girl's spirits slightly. "But not as easily as many people make it out to be" Harry added.

"But you have defeated You-Know-Who so many times. Why should you have problems defeating others?" Gabrielle protested.

"Gabrielle, I don't want to sadden you but the fact is that I am still a student while Voldemort…no need to shiver… he is a great wizard" Harry replied. "He is bad but he has immense knowledge and is very powerful. I have escaped from him every time but I am _still_ not capable of beating him"

"You will beat him one day" Gabrielle said with great conviction. "You will be the greatest wizard ever".

Harry was slightly moved by the faith which the little girl had in him. Being Harry Potter was not just about saving others, it was also about giving hope to numerous people. People who had never even seen him felt safe when Harry Potter was present. At times it felt like a burden to Harry but right now, he felt as if he owed something to Gabrielle for her confidence in him.

"I really don't know whether I will be the greatest wizard ever but what I do know is…" Harry paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "…I do know that I will beat Voldemort."

A mixture of emotions passed over Gabrielle's features at this statement. "Aren't you afraid to speak his name?"

"Why should I be?"

"Well…hmmm…" Gabrielle seemed thoughtful at this. Now that she thought of it, no one really had any reason to be afraid of a name but then again, not many people who had said the name had survived. "Everyone is afraid to say his name" came the innocent explanation.

"A name can never hurt you" Harry explained. "Anyway, it varies from person to person. I can never understand how people think of fighting him when they are even afraid to say his name"

"I want to fight him" Gabrielle said, her voice filled with confidence as well as fear. "I mean…you can fight him and I can fight the death eaters"

Harry smiled at this. "So, little Gabrielle wants to fight death eaters?"

"I am _not_ little" Gabrielle protested. Harry put up his hands in defense and said "Sorry"

"It's ok" Gabrielle replied, somewhat awed at the fact that Harry Potter had just apologized to her. "Well, like I was saying, my friends don't believe that I had met you"

"Should I meet your friends and tell them that I am a friend of yours?" Harry asked the charming little quarter veela.

"Will you do that for me?" Gabrielle's eyes were wide in surprise. Harry Potter thought of himself as her friend!

"If you want me to do that, I will" Harry replied and then continued in a whisper "But don't tell them that I cannot defeat hundreds of dark wizards easily, ok?"

Gabrielle giggled at this and said "I won't. It's our secret"

"Now, should we go down to the dinner table?" Harry asked Gabrielle. "Unless you want to talk some more"

Gabrielle seemed indecisive initially but then decided that it was enough for today. "I have lots to talk about but I don't think I should keep everyone waiting"

"You have nice manners, lady" Harry said as he got up. Gabrielle did the same and Harry vanished the chair with a swish of his wand.

"I am the worst of the family" Gabrielle replied sadly. "Everyone else knows when to do what and I always keep messing things up"

"2 things Gabrielle…" Harry said as they started to walk down the corridor towards the stairs. "…One, you are the youngest of the family and have a lot to learn. Your parents were like you once and so was your elder sister. All of them were taught nice manners by their elders and the same goes for you too. All you have to do is be patient. You can't learn everything overnight"

"Yeah" Gabrielle agreed. "Flu keeps saying the same thing and so do mom and dad"

"And they are right" Harry said as they started descending the stairs. "And the second thing is that you don't mess things up. It is a part of growing up and if you don't make mistakes then you will never be able to differentiate between right and wrong"

"I know" Gabrielle agreed. "But I don't want to make mistakes"

"Everyone makes mistakes" Harry said. "And you are no different. I made a lot of mistakes when I was your age. Even now, we all keep making mistakes"

"Really? You made mistakes too?" Gabrielle had stopped in mid-step as she asked this.

"Of course!" Harry replied. "You want to hear an example of a mistake a grown up person made?". Getting an affirmative response from Gabrielle, Harry said "Tonks made the mistake of pouring ice-cold water on me today. I am going to teach her a lesson soon". Hearing this, Gabrielle burst into giggles and started to proceed down the stairs again. By this time, they had reached the final stretch towards the dining area.

"Seriously…" Harry continued. "…the fact that you know about all this shows what a wonderfully mature lady you are. You are more mature than most people of your age"

"You think so?" Gabrielle asked in a shy voice, her cheeks turning red once again.

"Yes" Harry replied emphatically.

"I owe this to my parents and Flu. They are the best people in this world" Gabrielle said modestly. "I am trying to learn their best qualities"

"I am sure you will be successful" Harry said as they entered the dining room.

"Successful in what?" Tonks asked loudly. "In making us wait for so long?"

"Tonks, it's just been 7 minutes" Remus tried to pacify the metamorphmagus.

"7 minutes waiting for such a delicious smelling dinner" Tonks glared at Remus.

"Now…" Harry whispered to Gabrielle. "Don't you think she should be taught a lesson in good manners?". Gabrielle giggled at this and proceeded to take her seat at the table.

"What were you whispering to her?" Tonks asked as Harry seated himself on her left side. "It was something about me, wasn't it?"

"Yes" Harry replied. "I was just saying how nice your hair looks in orange color".

"Really?" Tonks looked slightly flattered at this comment. "You think this looks nice?"

"Of course" Harry replied with a wink towards Gabrielle who was trying very hard to keep her giggling in control.

"I think you are lying" Tonks said as she caught sight of Gabrielle. "You two are ganging up on me. Oh well…what else can I expect from you?" Tonks said with a sigh.

"Harry…Tonks…" Remus said "…will you two stop behaving like kids?". Both Harry and Tonks shut up instantly.

"Excuse them" Remus said to Fleur's parents. "Both of them have a tendency to pick on each other's faults"

"We can see that" Mrs. Delacour replied with a smile. "It makes life more exciting in my opinion"

"Sometimes more than needed" Remus replied, avoiding the fierce look which both Tonks and Harry were giving him.

"I should get the dinner on the tables" Mrs. Delacour said as she proceeded towards the kitchen. "Please give me a minute". With that, she disappeared inside. She had been inside for a few moments when Harry appeared at the kitchen door.

"Harry…what are you doing here?" Mrs. Delacour asked, slightly uncomfortable in his presence. Even though the kitchen was quite big, the utensils present were very few and she didn't want any outsider to have a look at the state of things.

"I was thinking whether I could lend you a hand" Harry replied, oblivious of the discomfort of Mrs. Delacour.

"No…no…you are our guest" Mrs. Delacour's discomfort seemed to grow by the second.

"If you don't mind Mrs. Delacour…" Harry said "…I have been cooking, laying out tables and washing dishes for quite a long time". Harry avoided the curious look which Mrs. Delacour gave him and continued "I just wanted to see how it felt inside a French kitchen. Please…don't say no"

"Ok" Mrs. Delacour said with a sigh. "It seems Flu was right. You have a way of getting things done the way you want"

"Not always" Harry replied with a naughty grin and started helping her with getting everything ready. Soon, both of them had the dinner laid out on the table.

"This is the first time someone other than me has entered the kitchen" Mrs. Delacour said as she took her place at the table. In the meantime Remus was asking Tonks for a galleon.

"What is the matter Remus?" Harry asked curiously. "Why are you asking Tonks for a galleon?"

"When you left the table, she told everyone that Stephanie won't let you help her" Remus explained. "We then got a bet running and now Tonks owes a galleon to me"

"Now Gabrielle…" Harry addressed the youngest member at the table. "…learn one thing from this – betting is dangerous. Never bet on others. Always bet on yourself. Look for yourself what happens when people bet" Harry finished off sarcastically.

"Understood" came the one word answer from Gabrielle. After that, the room fell into silence as everyone started to eat their dinner. Soon everyone was finished and all the members had proceeded to the sitting room.

"Why don't you tell us some story about Hogwarts?" Mr. Delacour asked Tonks, Remus and Harry as a whole. "We hear that it is a great place"

"Believe me, it is" Fleur chipped in. "And I think no one knows it better than Harry"

"Sorry Professor" Harry said, a grin plastered on his face. "Zero marks for that. The person who knows is best is the one sitting on my right"

"Really?" Fleur seemed surprised at this. All the stories she had heard at Hogwarts were those which had Harry in them. Now that she thought about it, she guessed that there had to be others too who had had adventures at Hogwarts.

"Yes. He and his friends were really something" Harry told everyone. "I think it is best if he tells you about the marauders himself"

"Marauders?" Fleur seemed thoughtful. "Yes…I think I had heard one of the staff members using that word". Seeing the hesitant look on Remus's face and the looks Remus was exchanging with Harry, Fleur tried to guess the problem.

"Remus…my family knows you are a werewolf. We don't have a problem with that" Fleur said a bit hesitantly. Remus seemed to relax at this.

"We believe god has something in store for all of us" Mr. Delacour said. "Sometimes things happen which are out of our control…which decide our future lives. We try to be as indiscriminate as possible"

"Nice to hear that" Remus looked as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. With that, he started telling the story about how the marauders came into being. After half-an-hour, everyone except Tonks, Remus and Harry looked thunderstruck.

"You mean 3 people became illegal animagi just to be with you during your transformations?" Mrs. Delacour thought that it was too good to be true. Upon getting an affirmative nod from Remus, she added "That speaks a lot about their characters"

"Wrong" chorused both Harry and Remus together. What was even more surprising to the others was the hatred and loathing both the voices carried.

"Looks can be deceiving" Remus said. His eyes were now fixed on his hands which seemed to be shaking due to uncontrollable anger. "One of our group members went over to the dark side"

"Oh my god" Mrs. Delacour covered her mouth with her hands in shock. "That must be…" her voice trailed off at this point.

"And that person…" Remus continued in a croaked voice. "…that person handed…that person ha…". Remus seemed unable to control himself and didn't try to complete the sentence. Harry patted Remus on his back and whispered "It's not your fault" into his ears. It was Tonks who continued from where Remus had left off, albeit in a grave voice.

"That person handed over Harry's…Harry's parents to You-Know…" Tonks also found her voice betraying her but she had said enough to clear up the mystery which Remus had created. The Delacour's looked shell-shocked at this revelation. All of them were misty-eyed by now and their heart went out to Remus and Harry for their ordeal. Never in their dreams could they imagine a scenario where one close friend had been responsible for the death of the other. But, in hindsight, that's what the war had done to people. No one really cared how they were related to the person standing opposite to them. All they knew was that either he/she was with them or was against them.

"I am sorry to have started this conversation in the first place" Fleur was the one who broke the deafening silence after quite a few minutes had passed by.

"No…no…don't apologize" Harry waved her off. "Hey…just because we don't tell the truth doesn't mean that it hasn't happened"

"But it must feel so awful" Fleur said again. "And I…"

"Stop it Fleur" Tonks commented. "Harry and Remus have to live with this fact for their whole lives". Fleur slowly nodded in reply.

"I think we should go to bed now" Mr. Delacour said after another lengthy period of silence. "I am feeling quite tired". Taking the hint, Harry, Remus and Tonks bid the others a good night's sleep and retired to their rooms.

**&&&&**

_"Where is he?" asked a figure half shrouded in the darkness of the room._

_None of the death eaters dared to say anything in reply. A female voice spoke at last._

_"He's still at Hogwarts, master" the voice trembled as the words came out._

_Red eyes flashed in the darkness at these words._

"Harry…Harry…"

Harry found himself being shaken furiously by someone. He also felt himself sweating heavily. The last thing which he could remember was having a vision of Voldemort.

"What…who…" Harry asked in a whimper.

"Thank god" Harry heard the relieved voice of Remus speak. He also became aware of the blinding light which was filling the room. Slowly, Harry pulled himself to a sitting position to find Remus sitting on a nearby chair with a concerned look on his face.

"You had another vision?" Remus asked Harry.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Harry replied. He was slightly angry at being woken up because he wanted to find out whatever he could, even at the cost of having visions. But on the other hand, he was thankful at whatever information he had retrieved.

"Anything important?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders at this. "Don't know yet. Voldemort was asking for someone and I think Bellatrix told him that the person was at Hogwarts"

"Male or female?" Remus queried.

"Male" Harry replied.

"I see" Remus said thoughtfully. "First he talks about some Power and now about some person"

"What person?" Tonks asked as she entered the room. Remus brought her up-to-date with the happenings.

"Was he talking about Harry?" Tonks queried after thinking about the incident carefully.

"Why should he?" Remus asked.

"Well…this could sound far fetched…I don't know…just guessing…" Tonks looked hesitant to speak her mind.

"C'mon Tonks" Harry said. "You have said many far fetched stupid things before also"

Ignoring the intended pun in Harry's words, Tonks provided her viewpoint.

"Harry's house got attacked but Harry was not there, right? That means Harry was vulnerable at Privet Drive. At Azkaban, anything could have happened. Forget about that temporarily. Then, after an absence of 2 months, Harry came to Hogwarts. There have been two attacks on Hogwarts and Harry has been completely unharmed in them, right?" Both Remus and Harry nodded.

"Then we learn about something known as Power of Hogwarts" Tonks continued. "This Power doesn't protect Hogwarts otherwise there would have been no attacks. Do you guys agree?" Again, Harry and Remus nodded their heads. "So, it _could_ mean that the Power is to protect Harry and hence You-Know-Who wants it destroyed. Now, the moment we leave Hogwarts, You-Know-Who doesn't ask about the Power anymore. He is more interested in a person, right?"

"Seems so" Harry said.

"So, what if the Power of Hogwarts doesn't protect you anymore? I mean…" Tonks continued "…it's called the Power of Hogwarts. That means it works only in Hogwarts. So, the moment Christmas holidays arrived, You-Know-Who is searching for a person and not the Power. Who is he searching for and why?" Tonks left the question open for debate.

"He is searching for me because he knows I am not protected while I am outside Hogwarts" Harry said thoughtfully. "But he still doesn't know I am here, so he is on the lookout for me"

"Bingo" Tonks said.

"But there is one more thing which doesn't fit in" Harry said. "Bellatrix…I think it was her…anyway, she seemed quite confident that I was in Hogwarts. How could she know for sure?"

"They could have a spy" Remus said.

"Snape" Both Harry and Tonks chorused. Remus sighed but didn't say anything.

"Ok…seriously now…" Harry said. "Any idea who could be a spy?"

"No idea" Tonks said promptly while Remus looked deep in thought. Something like this could happen easily enough with even Dumbledore getting a sniff about it. After all, Wormtail had been in the Order for so long and no one knew about his real identity.

"Don't know" Remus said finally. "We have to give it more thought and should check out some things"

"But whoever is the spy is not doing a good job" Harry said. "They still think I am at Hogwarts"

"Why don't I talk to Dumbledore?" Tonks asked.

"And tell him that I had a vision?" Harry shot back.

"Well…I could just ask him matter-of-factly" Tonks replied. "You know…I keep saying lots of things. So why not this?"

"She's right" Remus agreed. "If I asked Dumbledore, he would become suspicious. Tonks wouldn't raise his suspicions that much"

"You are the elder guys here" Harry said. "Do what you feel is correct"

"I will be back in 30 minutes" Tonks said and disappeared. Apparently, she wanted to talk to Dumbledore as soon as possible.

"Well…" Remus said after a long period of silence. "…we have had a very nice start to Christmas, haven't we?"

"Oh…" Harry looked as if he had just fallen from the sky. "Today is Christmas!"

**&&&&**

"MERRY CHRISTMAS" the voice of the twins echoed through each and every room of The Burrow.

"Damn you, Fred and George" Ron grumbled as he saw the watch. It was 6 in the morning on Christmas day but somehow the feeling was different this year. This year there was no Harry to share gifts with and no Dobby to whom he could give his sweater. Yes, he had a girlfriend but it was also true that a war was going on. And there was also no denying the fact that their family was involved in the war much more than the other families. Should something happen to him or anyone else in his family, his life would be in real shambles.

"RON, GET UP" Ginny had just peeked into Ron's room and went on to check her gifts. After some more minutes, Ron decided that today was not the day to worry about the negatives but rather enjoy the positives. With a smile on his lips and spirits on a high, he went downstairs to check on his gifts.

**&&&&**

Harry and Remus hurried downstairs to check out their gifts. Harry was the more enthusiastic one and he skipped two stairs at a time. When they finally reached the landing, they found their hosts were up and were sitting near the Christmas tree which had been setup the previous evening. A quick round of greetings followed before Gabrielle was given the green signal to open her gifts. Soon, everyone was opening whatever they had received.

"Well, that takes care of this year's Christmas presents" Fleur said once her presents were all sorted out. "Where's Tonks?" she asked when she noticed a small bunch of parcel's untouched under the tree.

"Anyone looking for me?" came a voice from the stairs.

"Speak of the devil…" Harry couldn't finish his sentence because Remus had clapped his hand over Harry's mouth. Tonks gave a glare at Harry before proceeding to open her gifts. Once that was taken care of, everyone settled down near the tree once more.

"Oh…" Harry said as soon as he had taken his seat.

"What happened?" Mr. Delacour asked curiously.

"I forgot Dobby"

"Dobby?" Mrs. Delacour seemed surprised at hearing this name.

"Yes, Dobby" Harry replied. He then went on to tell the story of how the elf came into his life and how much he had helped Harry during difficult periods.

"That was really something" Mr. Delacour said once Harry had finished his tale. "I have never heard of such a relation between a human and an elf"

"I think it is time you met him" Harry said with a smile. "One minute…let me get his present first". With that, Harry took out his wand and said "_Accio__ Present_". A swishing noise was heard by everyone present in the room and soon they saw a square box, about the size of a toaster, come into view. Harry caught it cleanly as it came nearer and called out for Dobby.

"Yes Harry Potter" Dobby said as he appeared right beside Harry.

"Merry Christmas Dobby" Harry said to the elf.

"Merry Christmas Harry Potter" replied the elf with a little bow. Harry grinned at this and then went on to introduce Dobby to the Delacour family. Dobby greeted each one of them in his own way. It was Gabrielle who took to Dobby like a fish takes to water. Dobby, who was quite fond of children, liked Gabrielle very much too. After the introductions had been taken care of, Harry turned to Dobby.

"Dobby…this is your Christmas present from all of us here". Mrs. Delacour was about to protest but Mr. Delacour stopped her. From what they had seen and heard about Harry, he usually had his way of getting things done his way and there was no use in arguing with him.

"Dobby is so happy" the elf squeaked in delight and started opening his gift. Once he had gone through the contents, he looked like the happiest elf on earth.

"Dobby is delighted at having such a lavish dress, Harry Potter. Dobby is thanking everybody for it".

"Why don't you try it on and show us Dobby?" Harry asked.

"Dobby is doing so right now" Dobby said and vanished with a crack. Within seconds, he had reappeared in a really weird dress. He had a tee shirt on which had sleeves of red and fluorescent green. The middle part was divided into 3 more colors, namely magenta, white and deep green. He also had a pair of trousers on (which were really weird for an elf to wear). The trousers had colors of black and blue intermixed with patches of grey in them.

"You look great Dobby" Tonks said, appreciating the work which had gone into making such a complex multi-colored dress. Remus and Harry also gave their approval. The Delacour family looked on in surprise at the odd dress but they too appreciated the dress. After getting positive remarks from everyone, a misty eyed Dobby thanked everyone and vanished into thin air.

Looking at the surprised looks of the Delacours, Harry went on to explain how Dobby thought colors should be mixed up to make clothes look beautiful. The Delacour family was surprised to say the least.

"By the way, where does he stay?" Gabrielle asked.

"He has a way of making room for himself" Harry replied. No one in the Delacour family knew about the trunk's facilities and it was best if it remained that way. Soon everyone had had their breakfast.

"So, what are your plans for today?" Mr. Delacour asked Fleur when they were sitting in the living room.

"Madam Maxime has invited us to lunch at Beauxbaton today" Fleur replied. Harry looked slightly surprised at this but Tonks looked excited.

"Great" Tonks said. "I finally get to see the best wizarding school in France"

**&&&&**

"Everyone ready?" Fleur asked at quarter to 12. Tonks and Remus were already present in the living room while Harry was coming down the stairs.

"Yeah" Remus said on behalf of the three of them.

"Has anyone seen Gabrielle?" Fleur asked to no one in particular.

"She's coming" Harry said as he slumped down on the nearest seat.

"Where is she?" Fleur asked.

"In my room…talking to Dobby" Harry replied.

"Talking to Dobby?" Remus looked puzzled at this.

"Yeah" Harry replied mockingly. "She wanted to know about my life and Dobby decided that he would do the honors"

"You know what Harry…" Tonks said "…they could start your fan club here"

"Yeah…yeah" came the sarcastic reply.

"Gabrielle" Fleur, in the meantime, was climbing up the stairs and calling out to her kid sister.

"Coming" everyone could hear the reply of Gabrielle. As Fleur descended, a pair of running feet could also be heard. Soon Gabrielle came into view and everyone got up to leave for Beauxbaton.

"Oh…one more thing Harry" Fleur turned around to face her student at Hogwarts. "Be careful in France. If anyone…"

"I know. Gabrielle told me about it" Harry replied. Fleur nodded her head in acknowledgement but Tonks and Remus seemed baffled. Seeing their looks, Harry explained "I am kind of a myth in France. Evidently, I am as popular or hated here as I am in England"

"No one hates you here" Gabrielle corrected Harry. All of them were now out of the manor and were heading towards the subway station.

"We'll see" Harry replied. The rest of the journey passed in relative quietness as no one wanted to attract unwanted attention. Harry, on the other hand, was also on the lookout for anything suspicious. Soon they had reached their destination station and as they were coming out, Tonks informed Harry and Remus that Dumbledore was looking into the 'spy' matter seriously. Both the guys were somewhat relieved to hear that.

"It's about 2 minutes walk from here" Fleur informed the others as she led the way. No one said anything and followed Fleur quietly. Within seconds, Fleur left the main road and turned down a narrow alley. From the looks of things, Harry guessed that muggles were unable to view the alley. As Harry looked around the alley, he saw that there were many side-alleys going in all kinds of directions. Fleur stopped in front of one of them and led the way inside. After another few similar turns, Fleur turned into an alley which had a bright light at the end. Coming out of the alley, all of them were temporarily blinded as sunlight flooded the area.

"Welcome to Beauxbaton"

**&&&&**

"Hey"

"Hi" Ron said without glancing up at Hermione.

"So…what are you doing today?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing special" Ron replied, toying around with some of the gifts he had got.

"So…" Hermione stopped for a moment before continuing. "…what gifts did you get?"

"The usual" Ron replied before looking up with a smile "but your gift was quite nice"

"You liked it?" Hermione thought this was unbelievable.

"Yeah" Ron replied. "Who wouldn't like a tee shirt signed by Krum? I would love to wear it whenever I can. By the way, how did you get hold of it?"

"Why should I tell?" Hermione said teasingly.

"C'mon Hermione" Ron insisted.

"Let's say an old friend helped me out" Hermione replied.

"Hmmm…old friend" Ron said thoughtfully. "Do you make frequent visits to your old friend's place?"

Hermione didn't like the tone in Ron's voice but she wasn't one to be left behind. "Not yet" she replied.

"I see" Ron said. "Give him my regards when you see him the next time…only if you have enough time for that" he added teasingly.

"RON!" Hermione slapped him hard on his arms. "Don't say such sick jokes"

"Hey, I was serious" Ron replied looking as serious as he could be. Hermione looked quite angry at Ron's idea of a joke and turned away.

"Hermione…Hermione…" Ron called out twice but Hermione didn't even look at him. Instead, she picked up a book and started reading it.

"You know what…" Ron said. "…I have never tried reading _Quidditch Through The Ages_ upside down". Hermione quickly turned around the book but not before Ron was laughing loudly.

"Shut up" Hermione said at last, irritated that Ron was having a laugh at her expense.

"C…Can't…" Ron replied in between fits of laughter. "You…should have seen…the look…on…your face"

"Stop it" Hermione said angrily. Finally, after another couple of seconds, Ron managed to get himself under control and saw that Hermione looked quite angry. There was something else about her features too which he tried his best to express in words.

"Hermione…you used to get angry at me so many times but today I have noticed something"

"What?"

"That you look more beautiful when you are angry" Ron replied. Hermione blushed slightly at this and her anger seemed to fade away.

"Liar" Hermione said but there was no irritation in her voice. In fact, she was smiling when she said this.

"Wrong Ms. Granger" Ron replied. "You get zero out of ten"

"Amway…what did Harry get you for Christmas?" Hermione changed the topic as fast as she could. She had still not got used to the changes Ron had undergone and sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable. Slowly, but surely, she was accepting the new and 'improved' Ron.

"You wouldn't believe what he got me" Ron let out a low whistle as he said this. "He got me a quaffle signed by every player on the Chudley Cannons"

"WHAT!" Hermione looked puzzled at this. "How did he manage it?"

"From what I had read in the prophet, a single quaffle was on auction for a fund raiser" Ron wondered aloud.

"But that would be very expensive" Hermione said. "If Harry keeps on going like this, he won't have any money left after graduating from Hogwarts"

"Hermione…" Ron looked quite serious. "…have you ever wondered why Harry keeps throwing his money away?"

"Don't know" Hermione replied. "It's as if he just wants to finish off his business with the dark forces and live like a beggar. Or maybe he wants to make his own living as an auror and have nothing to do with his parent's money once he has graduated"

"He's strange in the ways of money" Ron said. "It's almost as if he hates being rich"

"Took you long enough to understand that" Hermione said sarcastically even though she didn't want to sound it as bitter as it came out to be. But, to her surprise, Ron took it very nicely.

"Yeah…took me long enough"

"Hey…have you noticed the change in Ginny?" Hermione asked

"What change?" Ron looked awkwardly at Hermione. Hermione shook her head in despair.

"Really Ron, you are supposed to be her elder brother"

"So?" Ron gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Your point?". Hermione looked puzzled for a few moments at Ron's replies. Sometimes he seemed to have become so much mature and yet, at other times, he would reply just like the same old immature Ron. Well, that is Ron for you, she decided.

"She seems a lot happier now" Hermione said finally. "Remember how bitter she was when Harry didn't even talk to us?"

"Yeah" Ron nodded his head slowly. "Now that you mention it, I have seen her behave normally when Harry is around"

"Yes" Hermione agreed. "I was just thinking something based on that"

"What?" Ron queried.

"Has she found a new boyfriend?"

**&&&&**

Fleur led the way across the grounds in front of the huge school. Beauxbaton was bigger and had more grandeur than Hogwarts but it didn't seem as old as Hogwarts. It was quite a modern school and the students clothing suggested that there was no school uniform as such.

"Beauxbaton students can wear any kind of clothes during the holiday season" Fleur informed the others as they made their way towards the school.

"Don't these people go home during holidays?" Tonks seemed surprised at the huge number of students relaxing on the grounds. Many were giving weird looks at Tonks mainly due to her 'unique' features.

"As a matter of fact, they do" Fleur said, quickening her steps. Tonks saw that many of the students were starting to move towards them and were chatting excitedly amongst themselves. "But this time, a rumor has spread through the school" Fleur informed the others.

"Oh my god" Harry said in a low voice. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?". Many of the students were now close enough for the newcomers to hear their voices.

"Is it _him_?"

"That's Fleur Delacour alright. She's supposed to bring _him_ here, isn't that so?"

"Who are the others?"

"That pink-headed girl is really something"

By this time, the group had crossed the grounds and was heading up the stairs. As they were nearing the top of the stairs, a huge figure came to the forefront.

"Fleur…" Madam Maxime's voice boomed. "So nice to see you"

"Nice to see you too Madam Maxime" Fleur replied as she kissed her former headmistress on either cheek. "I have your guest with me"

"I can see that" Madam Maxime turned towards Harry with a big smile. "Welcome to Beauxbaton, Harry"

"My pleasure, Madam Maxime" Harry replied but kept glancing uncomfortably at the gathering crowd. Madam Maxime sensed his discomfort and escorted them to her office. Once in her office, Fleur proceeded to introduce the others to Madam Maxime. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Madam Maxime turned back to Harry.

"You have grown quite a lot since I last saw you"

"Yes" Harry said. "I am not a _little kid_ anymore". Fleur looked slightly embarrassed at this but only Harry noticed it.

"How is Dumbledore?" the headmistress asked again.

"He is doing ok" Harry replied. "He has a lot of things to take care of"

"I know" Madam Maxime said. "Things are happening here also…things which we had thought would not happen…things which are dividing the country into two"

"We hope the ministries of both the countries are working together to avoid a catastrophe" Tonks said.

"Yes" Madam Maxime stated. "But there are too many people with vested interests in the middle. Misunderstandings are taking place and we fear that people may turn to the dark side because of fear". Harry, Remus and Tonks exchanged concerned looks at this. This was bad news.

"Harry…" Madam Maxime said "…I have invited you here today for a purpose. There are lots of young minds here who can be very easily impressed. Everyone has heard about you but no one has ever seen you in person. These students need a role model and no one could be better than you"

"Madam Maxime, you flatter me" Harry replied truthfully. "Obviously there are lots of graduates from Beauxbaton who are better than me"

"Yes" Madam Maxime acknowledged the truth. "But none of them has ever lived to tell the tale of how they escaped the dark lord himself. You are special Harry, and they need someone like you"

"I see" Harry replied thoughtfully.

"You don't want him to make a speech or something, do you?" Tonks asked cautiously. "That is the kind of thing he hates most"

"Then I am sorry to say that I had exactly that in my mind" Madam Maxime's spirits seemed to have taken a beating. "I had hoped that Harry would motivate these young…"

"I will do it" Harry cut short Madam Maxime's sentence but she didn't mind anything. Rather, her Christmas spirit was back in place.

"Thank you Harry" Madam Maxime looked very grateful. "You don't know what this means to us"

"It means a lot to me too" Harry replied. "We need to stop people from turning dark. And if my saying something is useful, I will always be ready to help". Madam Maxime gave a nod at Harry which he acknowledged. After exchanging a few more pieces of information about what was going on in France, Madam Maxime led everyone to the dining hall of Beauxbatons.

The dining hall of Beauxbeatons was almost twice the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Beauxbaton had six houses in all based on the greatest wizards and witches France ever produced. The whole building's magnificence from the inside was unbelievable. Tonks was staring at the view with her jaw hanging open and only a hard nudge from Remus could bring her back to her senses.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, a merry Christmas to all of you" Madam Maxime began her speech in front of the whole school. Also, it seemed like some parents had dropped in to see Harry Potter.

"Today is a special day in the history of Beauxbaton. We, in France, face grave times in front of us" Madam Maxime's voice seemed very serious at this point and there was pin-drop silence in the hall. "We all have to make a choice, a choice between good and bad. This is much easier said than done but today I have someone with me who has made a choice. Most of us have only heard stories about him…" a murmur went through the hall "…but none of us know him personally. Today, I would like you all to hear what he has to say to us". The murmur around the hall was turning into a roar as people finally started to realize that the rumors were true. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome Harry Potter"

A thunderous roar exploded at the mention of the name. Harry looked very confused at what was going on. Even from what he had heard from Gabrielle, he didn't expect people to react like this. Everyone was standing on their feet and clapping. More and more parents seemed to be pouring into the hall as the word spread.

"Go on" Tonks gave Harry a slight push. As Harry slowly rose to his feet, the clapping grew even louder. Harry raised his hands to silence the students but no one heeded it. For many, this was the only chance to meet their hero, someone who could exist only in stories.

Harry performed the _Sonorous_ charm onto himself as Madam Maxime had done and tried to pacify the crowd.

"I would like you all to stop. Please allow me to speak". These words also failed to stop the uproar. Finally, seeing no other option, Harry said the only word which came to his mind "Voldemort".

Pin-drop silence ensued. Almost everyone, including Madam Maxime, gave an involuntary shudder. Some people looked outraged at having to hear the name while others thought it was sacrilege.

"Everyone was just clapping for me and now…" Harry paused for a moment. "I am not a quidditch star or anything. I am a normal person but you all were treating me like a star. I don't understand" Harry gave a violent shrug of his shoulders and threw up his hands in air in desperation.

"Stop thinking about me as something special" Harry said after a long pause. "I am just like you. The only difference between me and many of you is that I can say a person's name and you are afraid to even hear it. Madam Maxime just said that we have to make a choice. Yes, I made a choice. A choice which can cost me my life. A choice that has already led to the death of one of my friends. A choice that can change the way the things are moving now"

"I am not special because I made a choice. We are all making choices, either consciously or sub-consciously" Harry continued. Everyone was now hanging on to each word which Harry had to say. "My parents had made a choice too and because of that they are now…dead" Harry said with a sigh. "But you know what, I am rather proud of them. I would rather have them making the right choice and dying than taking the wrong path and worshipping a madman"

"You don't know what you are talking about kid" a voice shouted from behind.

"Really?" Harry asked sarcastically. "Have you ever seen Voldemort, my dear sir?". A shiver ran through the audience once again. "I have. I have even dueled with him and here I am, still alive and kicking". Some people chuckled at this comment. "We are getting divided, not due to caste, not due to religion or anything else BUT due to fear. Fear of a single name. Why do you fear that name?"

**&&&&**

"That was some speech" Tonks said when all of them were once again seated in Madam Maxime's office twenty minutes after Harry had started his speech. "You spoke for over 10 minutes!"

"Fudge seems to be rubbing off on you" Remus said with a wink. Harry, on the other hand, was in the foulest of moods. It felt as if he had just given a speech in front of a few hundred dead people.

"Don't worry Harry, they will understand you alright" Fleur said. She knew that France didn't have a Dumbledore who could show them the way but she had faith in them. These people needed someone to follow…someone by the name of Harry Potter.

"Hopefully" Harry replied. All of them stayed for another half-an-hour at Beauxbaton before finally leaving. As they made their way towards the stairs, a huge group of people descended on them.

"What is going on here?" Madam Maxime seemed very angry at the way the students had blocked the path of the guests.

"Madam Maxime, we want a picture of Harry Potter" a fifth year girl said. Looking around, Harry saw the girls outnumbered the boys by a large margin.

Madam Maxime cast a glance at Harry who motioned to her to bend down. Once they were level, Harry whispered something into her ears.

"Ok everyone" Madam Maxime said as she straightened up again to her full height. "Assemble in the ground in 5 minutes. We are going to take one…I repeat ONE school photo with Harry in it". Pandemonium ensued as everyone made a rush to follow Madam Maxime. Harry, in the meantime, was chatting to Gabrielle who seemed quite excited.

"Harry…my friends are here. Can you meet them?" Gabrielle asked hopefully.

"Now?" Harry asked and cast a glance at the crowd which was gathering behind them.

"Maybe later" Gabrielle said in a whisper. Harry could clearly see that the little girl was slightly upset but that didn't stop him from inwardly appreciating her manners.

"No. I will meet them now" Harry said, much to Gabrielle's delight.

**&&&&**

"Whoa…when do you plan to come back again Harry?" Tonks asked on the way back to the subway. It had taken them a full thirty minutes to meet Gabrielle's friends, their families, have their pictures taken, autographs etc etc.

"Shut up" came the two worded reply from Harry. Tonks made a face behind Harry's back but Remus stopped her before her antics got Harry more irritated.

"Oops…I forgot completely" Tonks stopped as they were entering the subway station. "I have to buy a few things"

"Not now Tonks" Harry seemed completely down-trodden as he said this.

"But they are really important" Tonks replied. "Why don't you guys go on? I will apparate back to the manor"

"That would be better" Harry agreed. Even though he didn't want to leave Tonks, he didn't feel like he could go shopping now. "Remus, why don't you go on with Tonks? Fleur and I will have no problems in returning along with Gabrielle."

"You sure?" Remus seemed slightly uncertain.

"Yeah" Harry said in a confident voice. "Just be back before dinner, ok?"

"Ok". With that, Tonks and Remus made their way back out of the subway while Fleur, Gabrielle and Harry made their way back to the manor. Once inside, Harry made his way up to his room and had a nice nap. It was around 6 in the evening when he woke up suddenly. Looking around, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary but his sixth sense kept telling him something was wrong.

Harry got up quickly and made his way downstairs. The house seemed quite, in fact, too quite for his liking. But on peeking inside the dining room, he saw Fleur and Gabrielle helping their mother in some household chores. A wave of relief washed over Harry's features when he saw them. Subsequently, he heard the main door of the house opening with a creaking sound. His wand drawn, Harry tip-toed to the hall.

"Honey, I am home" Mr. Delacour said as he entered the house. The outside sky was fairly dark by now. Harry was relieved to hear his host's voice but his relief vanished into thin air when he saw Mr. Delacour slumping to the ground – stunned.

"Fleur…Mrs. Delacour…" Harry shouted in a panicked voice as he summoned the limp body of Mr. Delacour. At the same time, he felt a thudding near his heart and understood why he had woken up suddenly. Death eaters had arrived.

"Oh my god" Mrs. Delacour shouted when she saw her husband sprawled on the couch.

"He's just unconscious" Harry informed them. "Hold on…" Harry said and enervated Mr. Delacour.

"What happened?" Mr. Delacour asked in a dazed voice.

"GET DOWN" Harry shouted as a streak of green light sped through one of the windows. There was a huge explosion as the spell hit the wall just behind the spot where Mrs. Delacour had been standing.

"Death eaters" Harry whispered to the 4 figures which were now down on the floor. "Get upstairs". All of them crept upstairs but made sure that they didn't make themselves visible through the windows.

"What do we do now?" Fleur seemed close to panic.

"Portkey away" Harry said.

"We can't" Fleur replied. Mrs. Delacour was lying on the floor, all the while trying to comfort Gabrielle, while Mr. Delacour was trying to come to some sort of a decision.

"We can't" Fleur replied.

"Why not?" Harry asked in anger.

"There is not enough time to explain" Fleur replied. "We can't portkey away" she added stubbornly.

"Ok…you can't portkey away. Tonks and Remus are not here and by the looks of things, there are about 20 death eaters already out there with more arriving with every passing second" Harry said aloud to himself.

"WHAT!" Fleur and her father exclaimed simultaneously.

"Hold on…they are here for me" Harry said. "Hmmm…Dobby".

"Yes Harry Potter"

Harry quickly whispered something to Dobby. Dobby looked frightened at what Harry had just said to him but nodded all the same.

"Look…I am going out for a while" Harry explained. "Don't come after me. One more thing…stay with Dobby"

Everyone in the room started protesting at this but became quite when another curse hit something downstairs.

"You all want to die?" Harry asked in a hissing voice, his eyes sparkling brightly. "I don't think so. Fleur, get your brother here". No sooner had Harry said these words that the last member of the Delacour family had joined them.

"Listen everyone…no one, and I mean no one, leaves this room unless Dobby says so. Wait for Tonks and Remus or the others. Fleur…use this" Harry handed an enchanted mobile phone to her. "Tonks and Remus have one of these too. Ask them to get aurors over here soon". With a last look, Harry left the room.

**&&&&**

"Should we go in now?" one of the death eaters asked another one.

"We have to wait until everyone else arrives" the other one explained. "Who the hell cast the spells? If master knows that we disobeyed his orders…" a shiver ran through each of the death-eater who heard this.

"What was that?" one of the death eaters heard a cracking sound nearby. Probing his way to the spot, he saw a cat hurrying away.

"Found anything?" another death eater asked.

"Nothing" came the confirmation as more swishing noises announced the arrival of more death eaters.

**&&&&**

"Dobby" Harry had made his way out onto the grounds. This was the first time he had tried using the invisibility shield feature of the glove in a real life situation and it looked like it was really working.

"Harry Potter" came a whisper from beside him. Apparently, Dobby had also taken the precaution to make himself invisible.

"You got it?"

"Yes Harry Potter". With that, Dobby handed over the thing which Harry had asked for.

"Thanks Dobby. One more thing…" Harry said as he bent downwards to reach Dobby's height. "Remember how I had said that I will provide you with some important work? Well, this is it Dobby. Protect the Delacour's"

"I will Harry Potter" a steely voice replied and with a crack, Dobby vanished.

"What was that?" Harry heard one of the death eaters saying. Assuming that the death eater had heard Dobby's cracking noise, Harry quickly stepped away from the area. More and more swishing noises seemed to fill the air around him. Quietly, Harry made his way to his target area and waited with baited breath. After a time, Harry saw one of the death eaters motioning others to follow him. Harry knew that the time had come for his move. He waited a few moments to ensure that he had enough space for his movements. As the moment arrived, Harry took a deep breath and let down the invisibility shield. Simultaneously, he muttered the _lumos_ spell.

"Looking for me?" Harry said in a loud voice. All the death eaters turned around to find Harry holding his wand at an angle so that his whole face was illuminated to them.

"Potter" came a deep drawling voice.

"If it isn't Malfoy Senior" Harry said in a mocking tone.

"You are coming with us tonight Potter" Malfoy said as he shot a spell at Harry. Harry, who had been expecting such a thing, evaded the spell easily.

"Of course" Harry said. "But only if you can catch me". With that, Harry picked up his Firebolt in a flash from where he had placed it and flew off into the darkness of the night-sky.

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Hi guys, I am back :). Here's the 20th chapter. Hope you like it. Once again, from now onwards, the whole Delacour family will speak perfect english. It is too much time consuming to get the accent right.

For those who think 4-5 chapters more are not enough to explain everything in this fic, the news is that there will be a sequel.

**TuxedoMac** – Harry is just about to have the flying of his lifetime :). SO he doesn't have to post letters to anyone hopefully.

**To all those people who have reviewed** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	21. Holiday Events Part II

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.

**Warning:** There are some fight scenes which mention the human body getting split and things like that. Please skip those scenes if you find them offending.

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 21 - Holiday Events (Part II)**

"You are coming with us tonight Potter" Malfoy said as he shot a spell at Harry. Harry, who had been expecting such a thing, evaded the spell easily.

"Of course" Harry said. "But only if you can catch me". With that, Harry picked up his Firebolt in a flash from where he had placed it and flew off into the darkness of the night-sky.

**&&&&**

"Don't you think you have done enough shopping?" Remus asked Tonks for the umpteenth time.

"Just finishing up" Tonks replied as she looked around for something.

"You have been saying that for an hour now" Remus said as he glanced at his watch. "Oh...Hi Frank". At this, Tonks turned to see the person whom Remus had apparently greeted.

"Who's this Frank?" Tonks asked as she looked around. "And where is Frank? I don't see him"

"Don't worry about not seeing him" Remus said carelessly. "He just bounded out of the shop"

"What do you mean by that?" Tonks arched up an eyebrow. Remus came very near to her and whispered "You know how some people treat werewolves. Thank god no one recognizes me here"

"WHAT!" Tonks staggered back slightly. "You...mean this...this Frank..."

"He is quite a known face here" Remus started to speak casually once more. "Great story behind what happened to him. It was back in..."

"I am finished" Tonks interrupted Remus hastily. "I mean...I am finished with shopping here". Tonks glanced around nervously as she took out some muggle money from her pockets. She quickly paid the girl at the counter and almost started to run towards the subway station.

"Hey...slow down" Remus called out from behind. Inwardly he was feeling very satisfied with himself because he had invented a great story to stop Tonks from shopping any longer.

"No" Tonks shouted back, drawing the attention of many people around them. "You walk faster"

"Hey" Remus was trying his best to catch up with the red haired witch. "You have no need to panic. Frank is quite harmless"

"Frank! Harmless?" Tonks seemed to slowdown slightly at this. "Who said anything about Frank? I am just in a hurry, that's all" Tonks continued as she weaved her way through the evening crowd.

"Yeah...yeah" Remus replied, a grin on his face. "You have been in a hurry ever since Frank _showed_ up". Tonks didn't bother to reply and turned down the corner towards the station.

"_Now why the hell am I hearing a music being played?_" Tonks asked herself as she climbed down the stairs of the station followed by Remus. "_Damn it, it's the mobile Harry gave me_" Tonks realized as she became aware of the vibration in her right jacket pocket. "_Why does he have to bother me now?_" Tonks thought, even as she put her right hand in the pocket to retrieve the mobile. It was then that her auror senses alerted her that something was wrong because many of the people seemed to be looking at _someone_. A split second later she saw a flash of light coming towards her out of the corner of her eyes.

**&&&&**

As Harry took to the air and the wind rushed through his hair, he felt a strange calmness coming over him. He seemed to be free...free from all the troubles which Harry Potter had. He could do anything in the air. He smiled as he raced on his Firebolt. This was his home.

"_Are they following me?_" Harry wondered as he cruised ahead on his Firebolt. It had seemed a good ploy to fly away and have the death eaters following him, but what if they didn't? This thought made his heart skip a beat as he imagined the Delacour family being tortured by the death eaters. These people were capable of anything and everything and Harry had to make sure. Taking his wizard radar out, he saw that many dots were following him as he flew high above the clouds. With a sigh of relief, he put back the radar in place and wondered how the death eaters had got hold of broomsticks in such a small amount of time. Coming to the conclusion that it could wait for a while, he dove between a split in the clouds and slowed down. After all, his plan would backfire if the death eaters lost sight of him and decided to go back to the manor.

**&&&&**

"Where the hell did Potter disappear?" Malfoy shouted out to one of his followers as they all flew in the direction Harry had taken off.

"Checking sir" came the reply from the flyer in lead. Quickly, he made a survey of the area and joined the rest of the group. "He is about 300 meters in front"

"What?" Malfoy looked puzzled at this. From what he knew, Potter had a Firebolt and he was a _damn good flyer_ according to everyone who didn't matter very much. And yet, he was just 300 meters in front.

"Yes sir. He seems to be checking back time and again" the death eater said, his broomstick trying to pace itself with that of his group leader. "I think he is a bit shaky"

"Did anyone ask you about your thoughts?" came a question in the gravest of voices. The death eater looked around to see who had said these words. As he saw the person, he gulped visibly and looked as if he would fall off his broom.

"Follow Mr. Malfoy and don't think anymore. Follow your orders" the man continued. "And bring back Potter to me - alive. I have a few scores to settle with him". With that, the death eater who had just joined them, maneuvered his broom towards the manor. The wound of the Azkaban defeat was still stinging him and today he was going to have his revenge.

On Malfoy's signal, 2 different teams of death eaters changed directions and accelerated on their brooms as fast as they could. Leading the final team, Malfoy sped forward at full speed.

**&&&&**

Harry was now flying well over the city and he knew that if anyone looked up, then they would see something small gliding over the city. Even though there was enough moonlight, Harry hoped that he will not be taken more seriously than an owl flying at a height of over 1000 meters above the ground. Even as he flew over another portion of the city, he saw a bright lights and fireworks going off in parts of the city.

"How much slower should I fly to let those idiots catch up with me?" Harry said in frustration as he saw no one coming even close. After squinting his eyes and scrutinizing the area behind him, he saw a group of specs visible in the moonlight. Satisfied that he was being followed, Harry slowed down a bit more and turned slightly to his left. What he had not expected was to see a flash of light coming towards him from close on the left. The spell missed him by a whisker.

"What the hell!" Harry looked startled. Looking closely, he saw something move against the black sky...something which covered up the stars for a split second before merging with the sky again. Harry sped up slightly as he understood that there was at least one more group which was on his left side. It also seemed that group had used the disillusionment charm to make themselves unnoticable.

"Oops...underestimated them" Harry muttered and started to fly a zig-zag route. He also took out his wizard radar and saw a total of 3 groups of death eaters. The groups on either flank were much closer than the group behind. Harry cursed himself inwardly for letting the two groups to come in that close but knew that there was nothing gained by crying over spilled milk.

"_Let's see what you are made of_" Harry thought as he put away his radar and gripped his Firebolt strongly. This was going to be one heck of a ride.

**&&&&**

"Why isn't she picking it up?" Fleur whispered desperately as she disconnected the mobile for the fifth time in a row. "Dobby, can you please check on them?" Fleur asked.

"Dobby is unable to leave this place" Dobby replied grimly as he kept a lookout through the window for death eater movements.

"But why are they not responding? Have they lost the phones?" Fleur looked helpless as she asked this.

"Dobby is not knowing" Dobby replied before turning around in the dark room. "And Dobby is having work at hand"

"Work?" Mr. Delacour looked puzzled.

"Dobby is seeing bad wizard coming"

**&&&&**

"Death eater" Tonks had barely managed to avoid the first spell shot at her by a hooded person in the subway. Most of the people at the station were looking bewildered as to how a jet of light had come out of a short 'stick'. Tonks, seeing the situation was a dangerous one, had her wand in her hand now while Remus had ducked behind a group of people. He did not want to expose himself unless he thought it was the right time.

"Surrender" Tonks said to the hooded guy. By this time everyone had a inkling who the bad guy was but no one made any move. After all, who were these people with sticks in hand?

The death eater got into a dueling position. Tonks, seeing no other option, decided to do the same. But just as Tonks was planting her feet firmly in a dueling stance, she saw something which caused her to stop. The death eater had just smiled. Sensing that there were more of these scum's around, Tonks quickly moved towards her right side and cast a glance around. Three more hooded figures had come out of nowhere.

"_This is going to be one hell of a fight_" Tonks thought to herself even as her mobile phone kept ringing.

**&&&&**

"Dobby, what are you going to do?" Mrs. Delacour asked.

"Dobby is going to setup barriers" Dobby said and stepped towards the door of the room.

"You need any help?" Mr. Delacour asked.

"Yes" Dobby replied. "Dobby is wanting all of you to stay right here...and do not scream". With that, Dobby gave a snap of his fingers and the door shut itself tightly. He knew he had to do something special to stop death eaters from entering the manor. Quickly, Dobby popped into the living room and snapped his fingers again. An invisible barrier seemed to have been created between the entrance and the rest of the house. The barrier kept on spreading throughout the perimeter of the house and soon the whole world seemed to have been shut out. Satisfied with his work, Dobby moved a few steps backward and snapped his fingers again. Another barrier seemed to be created and this too spread through the entire house. Dobby knew that these barriers were hard to break but not impossible. He had to create as many obstacles as possible and he had a very small amount of time to do so. As Dobby stepped back another few steps, he heard a spell hit the first barrier. From the force of the spell, Dobby knew that he was dealing with very powerful wizards and witches. He knew he had to hurry if he had to keep his word - to protect the Delacours.

**&&&&**

"C'MON" Harry shouted as yet another spell missed him. "You are missing me". The two flank units of the death eaters were really close now and the back unit seemed to have picked up speed too. Harry knew he had to maintain a very delicate balance so that he was always within range but still far enough to make a getaway.

Harry saw another spell being cast from his right side and pulled back his broomstick. The spell passed just in front of him and Harry gave a sigh of relief. He would have been exactly at that position if he had not braked in time. Still, Harry knew he couldn't wait as another spell came from the same direction. Harry put on a spurt of speed and evaded the spell. He pulled hard to the right and the Firebolt made a 60 degree turn. Harry took out his wand and sent a stunning spell towards the spot where the spell had come from. Seeing the spell go harmlessly through the spot, Harry knew that the death eaters had moved away.

Harry knew that it would be very difficult to hit the death eaters because they were almost undetectable. Maneuvering the Firebolt with great skill, Harry made a steep dive and pulled out about 200 feet below where he was seconds before. He saw some spells going past him as he had made his dive but he had been too fast. Thinking hard, Harry decided that there was only one way to get the death eaters to reveal themselves.

"Malfoy" Harry's slightly magically magnified voice could be heard clearly by all the death eaters. "Too afraid to reveal yourselves in front of a _kid_?" Harry's taunting voice said. A jet of light came speeding towards him and Harry set up the glove-shield to absorb the spell. As soon as he had absorbed it, Harry cast the stunning spell towards the spot with great power. Alas, no one was present there any longer.

"You all are pure-blooded wizards and you have to hide yourselves from me?" Harry continued his taunting speech as he zig-zagged his way forward. "Show yourselves if you think you are worthy of fighting me"

"Potter" Malfoy's voice reached him. "We do not need to hide to catch you". As if on cue, the two flank groups became visible once again. "Let's see what you are made of Potter"

"That's more like it" Harry shouted back.

Harry pulled up the Firebolt through a steep climb and soon he was about a 100 feet above the death eaters. Looking around, Harry saw quite a number of wands targeting him. Almost at once, five to six spells were shot towards him. Harry quickly changed directions and steered his broomstick to the right which caused the spells to miss him by a long distance. Looking around, Harry saw 10 death eaters on each side with 10 more following him. There was a distance of 50 feet between Harry and each of the groups. The whole scenario was more than he had bargained for but there was no way out of it now.

One of the death eaters on the left side put on a huge spurt of speed and came quite close to Harry who was flying much slower than the maximum speed of the Firebolt. The death eater sent a spell towards Harry. Harry rolled over at the last moment and steered him broom hard to the left. The death eater looked astonished as he saw that the Firebolt was about to crash into him. But at the last moment, Harry dove beneath the broomstick of the death eater, but not before putting on a S_lowing _spell on the broomstick. As the death eater watched to his horror, his broomstick started slowing down rapidly until it came to a dead stop - in the middle of the night sky.

"_One down, many more to go_" Harry thought to himself. At the same moment, he heard a huge swish sound filling the air. Looking around, he saw that most of the death eaters had closed the gap between themselves and him. Harry put on a huge spurt of speed and widened the gap. Just as the death eaters started to accelerate themselves too, Harry started a steep climb. Flashes of light sped by him but he continued the climb and went straight through a cloud, drenching himself. He was now almost a mile above the nearest death eater and he could feel the slight lack of oxygen in the air. Harry knew that he was out of sight of the death eaters and decided to take advantage of this. Quickly saying the magic words, he transformed his pants to reveal the hidden pockets. He was now all set to take on guys at hand.

**&&&&**

"_What to do...what to do...think, you damn fool_" Tonks kept thinking this over and over again as the four death eaters in front of her raised their wands. "_And these innocent people...why the hell don't they move out of the way? And why does this phone have to ring now?_"

"GET OUT OF HERE". Tonks shouted to everyone in general. As Tonks cast another glance around, she noticed Remus hiding behind some people. She knew Remus would come to her help when needed and showed no sign's of surprise. But what astounded here was the fact that, except for a few people, everyone seemed rooted to their places.

"ANYONE EVER HEARD THAT CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT?"

Still no one moved. The hooded figures smiled at this. The problem with the good guys was that they always thought about the general public before thinking about themselves. And the problem with the general public was that most of them lacked common sense.

Tonks gave a deep sigh at the lack of response from the public. She could understand why some people were still standing there - it seemed as if a show of sorts was going on. How could anyone ever imagine that a person with a wooden stick could kill them? Unable to find a solution to the problem at hand, her eyes met those of Remus for a brief second. In that split second, both came to an understanding and Remus knew he had to come out in the open to save the other people.

"No more pleadings with these muggles?" the death eater on the right mocked Tonks. "Given up so easily? Don't you want to save these mudbloods?"

"Try to save yourself, you pig" Tonks remarked and pointed her wand straight at the guy. At that very moment, Remus came out in the open and cast the stunning spell on two of the other three wizards while Tonks stunned the death eater who had just taunted her. The last death eater looked around in a bewildered fashion.

"So..." Tonks said as she pointed her wand towards the last death eater. "...It's now in our favor. Now..."

"Wrong" a squeaky voice could be heard throughout the station as more swishing noises filled the air. "My master had estimated that we might require additional people...so I brought them here"

"WORMTAIL" the voice of an angry werewolf threatened to tear apart everything in its path.

**&&&&**

Harry decided that he would have to take the initiative if he was to survive the night. Without even thinking twice, Harry dove straight through the cloud and towards the area where he assumed the death eaters would be. As he emerged through the cloud cover, he saw that some death eaters were also climbing towards him. An astonished look came over the faces of all of them but one of them managed to send a spell towards Harry. In the meanwhile, Harry had already cast a drying spell on himself. Harry flattened himself against his broom but still felt the spell grazing the back of his dragon-hide jacket. Another spell came from of the death eaters but Harry rolled over and the spell passed by harmlessly. As he was rolling over, Harry cast the _Slowing_ spell as many times as he could. Once he had straightened again, he saw that he had hit two more broomsticks which were decelerating. Harry kept on diving and went past the two broomsticks which had now stopped completely. He noticed that only one group had started the climb while another group had spread out and was circling the area. The third and final group seemed to be waiting still in mid-air.

Harry was now traveling at a high speed now and he saw an opening of about 20 feet between two death eaters. He aimed straight for the opening even as both raised their wands. As Harry came closer, he saw both the death eaters tracking him with their wands and trying to get a clean shot. Just as Harry was about to pass between the two, the death eaters cast their spells together. Harry rolled over in his broomstick and hung upside down as he went through. He heard the spells hit something but didn't bother to look back. For all he knew, the two of them had hit each other.

Harry quickly rolled back to the normal position and again saw two death eaters, only about 2 feet apart from each other, approaching him. Both cast their spells but Harry set up his glove-shield quickly. Absorbing both the spells, Harry tried a very dangerous move. He let go of the broomstick and pointed his wand at one of the death eaters. At the same moment, he took out the largest and sharpest knife he had in his left hand. All this happened in a split second. As the death eaters started to mutter their second spells, Harry speeded up even more. What happened next looked like a stunt out of the movies.

Harry was now only about 10 feet away from them. He cast a strong stunning spell on the wizard on the right and raised his left hand. The wizard on the left side looked astounded when he saw the 7 inch magical blade shining in the moonlight. He had stopped muttering his spell mid-way in sheer fear. Just as he thought Harry would crash into him, he saw Harry diving beneath him. Following Harry's movements, he saw Harry swing his knife at his broomstick and cut off the back portion. Eyes wide in fear, he saw the bottom half of the broomstick falling towards the ground. An ear-splitting shriek ensued from his mouth as his own fall started.

Harry could feel his heart beat rate had increased considerably but he didn't have any fear in him. After all, this was his territory and no one could threaten him here. Harry was now moving at a very high speed and saw another couple of death eaters approaching him. From the looks of things, it seemed that the death eaters had decided to move in pairs. Well, thought Harry, killing two birds with a single stone was not a bad idea at all.

Stone! Harry saw that the distance between the two death eaters was very small. Just as one of them fired a spell, Harry saw a second spell coming from his right side. Harry steered his broomstick sharply to the left side and barely managed to avoid both the spells.

In the split second when everyone was trying to see whether Harry had got hit or not, Harry said "_Silex Clypeus_". A wide block of stone was conjured in front of him. Taking a last look at the advancing death eaters, Harry said "_Abutor Volatus Vis_".

The two death eater froze as they saw the effect of the spell. The wide block of stone came hurtling towards them at a great speed. One of them had his senses working correctly and he said "_Reducto_". His spell hit the stone with great force and blasted it to a million pieces.

Harry had not expected the death eaters to react so fast. He was still about a 100 feet from the death eaters and he knew he had to think up something real fast.

As he avoided another spell from the death eaters, Harry said muttered another spell. This conjured up an object 30 feet wide just behind the approaching death eaters. Under the effect of the spell, the object block remained suspended in the air.

"Missed us Potter" one of them sneered even as Harry came to a stop. Harry conjured up an iron block and spelled it to hit the death eaters. The death eaters, not liking the idea of being sandwiched between two blocks of god-knows-what, shattered the iron block, still about 40 feet away, with great force. The block of iron got shattered into thousands of pieces and the look of fanatical glee on both the death eaters faces could be seen easily. They would be the one's to capture Potter.

But the look of glee didn't last for more than a second. For some reason the iron splinters hung in mid-air for a second and then started to move towards them with great speed. Both the wizards looked stunned as the pieces came nearer and nearer, gaining speed with every passing millisecond. One of them tried to move out of the way but saw that the splinters covered a large area. It would be impossible for anyone to move out of the way. Before they had a chance to cast another spell, long iron splinters had been embedded on their bodies while a few moved past them. The half-dead bodies of both the death eaters were dragged off from their brooms and hit the huge object block behind them which Harry had conjured previously. The last thing they heard was Harry's curious voice.

"Did you guys know that iron gets attracted to magnet?"

**&&&&**

"Dobby...you here?" Fleur asked tentatively as the front door opened and closed ever so slightly. From the looks of it, the elf had cast the whole building into pitch black darkness.

"Yes Missy Delacour" Dobby replied in a whisper. He moved in between Gabrielle and Fleur and sat down on the floor just like the others.

"You had said something about barriers" Fleur said in a whisper. They all knew that Harry had left behind Dobby for a purpose and it was best to follow Dobby's lead.

"Dobby is creating barriers but the bad wizards are growing in number" Dobby replied in a shaky voice. "Dark wizards are powerful"

"We should fight them" Mr. Delacour said with a vigor which had been missing for a long time. "We can't let Harry take all the risks and sit here waiting for someone to save us"

"You is not having..." Dobby stopped in between as his whole body shook up. If anyone had been able to see his face in the darkness, they would have seen the perspiration and strain he was under. "You is not having to wait for anyone to save you" Dobby repeated. "Harry Potter is saving us all"

"But Harry can't take on all of them" Mrs. Delacour said. "And, most importantly, he is not here"

"Harry Potter is going to be back soon" Dobby said. "Harry Potter is always there to help people". Silence ensued in the room after that. Fleur kept trying to reach Tonks from time to time but got no response. Gabrielle had curled up against her mother but she also held on to Dobby's right hand. Dobby had the little girl's hand in his hand and gave it a little squeeze. They were both hoping that Harry would return soon and save them from the death eaters but Dobby didn't say that Harry had about 25-30 death eaters to deal with already. If Harry Potter came back in fine shape, Dobby knew there would be nothing to worry about. At least, that's what his heart told him.

**&&&&**

"Remus...no need to shout like that" Wormtail replied. "I am just following orders"

"Just like you did in the old days, isn't that so?" the venom in Remus's voice stung the very air around it.

"There is still time Remus" Wormtail continued as if he had not heard a single word of Remus. Remus, on the other hand, could detect the ever so slight change in the voice and the tiny amount of quivering which was taking place now. Wormtail was just as nervous and as big a coward as he was before.

"Join us Remus and we could become great"

"You filth" Remus said even as he took in the scene at hand. Eight more death eaters seemed to have apparated along with Wormtail who, Remus was sure, would escape once a fight began. "How dare you even say that to me?"

"Times have changed Remus..."

"BUT I HAVE NOT" Remus shouted back, spit flying from his mouth. Tonks didn't dare to even say a word in between.

"You are right Remus..." Wormtail said after a long pause. "You are still as blind as before". Another long silence ensued which was interrupted only by the sound of a mobile ringing. Tonks, ever so slightly, put her hand in her pocket and tried to muffle the sound.

"Where is that sound coming from?" Wormtail looked around frantically.

"From here" Tonks said as she took out the mobile. As she brought it up to show it to Wormtail and the other death eaters, she read the name of the caller which was visible only to herself and Remus - Harry.

"What is it?" the tiny death eater squeaked in fear.

"A bomb" Tonks replied calmly. "5 seconds after the sound dies, everything goes _bang_". As luck would have it, the ring stopped at that moment.

"5..." Tonks started counting down. The other death eaters knew what a bomb was and it was a widely advised in the wizarding world to stay away from it. Bomb's killed people, irrespective of whether they were muggles or not.

"4..."

"Stop it!" Wormtail almost screamed at Tonks. The other death eaters also looked at each other hesitantly.

"3..."

Wormtail looked around and saw a tiny hole near the end of the area they were standing in. As he tried to make his way towards that area, Remus cast a spell which caused the interior of the whole station to become thrice as long and wide it was before. Many people screamed at this while some started to run towards the stairs.

"2..."

"Avada..." Tonks looked up to see one of the death eaters targeting a woman running towards the stairs "...Kedavra". A flash of green light was emitted from the wand tip and raced towards its target. As much as Tonks wanted to do something, she couldn't. She looked on as the light hit the woman, killing her instantly.

"1..." Tonks said in a hoarse voice as everyone seemed to have come to a standstill. Remus took this chance and, keeping his wand behind his back, muttered a quick spell. At once, all the muggles were thrown against the walls of the station and a thin, shimmering wall seemed to cover all of them. The death eaters looked from one to the other for confirmation that this was indeed what they thought it to be. Everyone now knew that apart from the unforgivables, no other spell would be able to pierce the wall. The death eaters didn't care about that but Tonks appreciated the effort. At least, the muggles now had some protection.

"0..." Tonks said and looked up. "Catch" she said and threw up the mobile in the air. Immediately, one of the death eaters blasted it away but not before Remus and Tonks had stunned one death eater each. Wormtail had changed into a mouse and had got away. Simultaneously everyone felt a tingling feeling in their bodies. Anti-apparation wards had been set in. As the muggles looked on, two light wizards started their fight against seven unharmed death eaters.

**&&&&**

"What the hell?" Malfoy said out loud as he saw two of his men literally getting pinned to a magnetic wall of sorts. Malfoy was cursing his luck at having to fight Harry in mid air. Obviously, this kid knew how to fly. He saw how Harry was still in the air for a few moments after his men had got killed and the rage inside him started to grow. He wanted this Potter kid out of the way.

"You four..." Malfoy shouted "...move in and stun him...NOW". The four hooded figures gave a nod and moved forward, their wands ready in their hands.

**&&&&**

Harry saw Malfoy shouting some orders and four death eaters rushing towards him. They were still about 100 feet away so Harry decided there was no point in cursing any of them. They would have loads of time to move out of the way. Harry knew that he would have to take them on one at a time if he wanted to have any chance of beating them. As Harry saw them coming nearer, he took out a small object from his left side pocket.

"Catch" Harry shouted and threw it with great force towards the approaching death eaters. The death eater on the extreme left saw the object arching up and then coming down towards them. Instinctively, he blasted it apart with a spell.

"Never do that to a WWW product" Harry muttered to himself even as a powdery substance filled the air around the death eater. "Especially the _Sneeze Whiz_". This was another of the twins ingenious inventions which caused the destroyer of the product to sneeze for over an hour and kept him covered in a powdery substance all the time.

Harry took a quick look at the death eater and steered his Firebolt to the left. He knew that he was now at a vulnerable distance from the death eaters and he wanted to get away as soon as possible. He pushed his Firebolt to greater speeds as he traveled a wide circular path, dodging spells almost every second. He himself cast a few spells but having to turn his body to cast a spell was an obvious disadvantage. He saw the remaining death eaters looking on in amusement and enjoying the cat and mouse game but they were the least of his concerns at the moment. He had to think of an idea to get rid of three death eaters first.

Seeing that they were getting nowhere, Harry started to dive. The death eaters followed suit but Harry soon pulled out of the dive and started another steep climb. One spell barely missed him while he had to once again flatten himself against his Firebolt to avoid another spell. After Harry had climbed well over the stagnant group of death eaters in the middle, he came to a stop.

"Hey..." Harry's magically amplified voice could be heard by the others present. The three others had climbed to his level and were getting ready to cast their spells once again. "...I give up" Harry shouted. Everyone was taken by surprise at this. The Potters were famous for not giving up and this boy had been no different in the past. He had not surrendered in front of Lord Voldemort himself and yet he was surrendering in front of the dark lord's followers!

"So..." Malfoy shouted back even as the three death eaters looked from one to the other. "...you have finally decided to think logically, haven't you?"

"Yes" Harry replied.

"What should we do?" One of the three death eaters asked Malfoy.

"_Stupefy_" a voice whispered in the ear of the death eater as he got stunned.

**&&&&**

"What should we do?" One of the death eaters asked Malfoy. Harry was waiting exactly for such a situation where all the broomsticks were stagnant in mid air and the death eaters were distracted. He quickly disapparated from his Firebolt and apparated behind the death eater who had asked the question.

"_Stupefy_" Harry stunned the wizard at point blank range and disapparated back to his broomstick.

**&&&&**

"LOOK OUT" Malfoy shouted as he saw Harry disappear from his broomstick. He knew that this kid had a full kit of tricks in store and could fool many people. Alas, he was too late as he saw the death eater getting stunned. Even as the remaining two were raising their wands, Harry had disapparated back to his own broomstick.

"Should we take care of him?" questioned a death eater hovering near Malfoy.

"Not yet" Malfoy replied and turned his attention back to the match at hand. In the meanwhile, two death eaters flew at top speed to catch the falling figure of the stunned person. Thankfully for them, they managed to save yet another of their number.

**&&&&**

"Like the move?" Harry asked the other two death eaters in a mocking tone. Even though Harry couldn't see their faces, he knew that they were furious with what had just happened. "If you two would prefer to stay still, I could give you another demonstration"

Being mocked at by a schoolboy was very insulting to say the least, and that too when you are a death eater. As a death eater, you had to take revenge for every insult thrown at you; otherwise you were not worthy enough to be one. Both the death eaters knew that they had to restore their pride and teach Harry a lesson. As such, both started to fire spells at will at Harry.

Harry knew that these death eaters were on their edges and a slight push could topple them. As the spells started to rain in thick and fast, Harry maneuvered his Firebolt skillfully to keep out of the way. Harry slowly started to move towards the death eaters who did the same.

"_Stupefy_" one of the death eaters sent the spell towards Harry. Another conjured iron club came from the other death eater.

Harry ducked the stunning spell and the club. As the iron club went past, Harry said "_Ferrum Ferratilis_" and a set of conjured iron chains went spinning towards their targets. One of the death eaters managed to escape the chains but the other one was hit on the leg by a part of the chain. Screaming out in pain, he shouted "_Crucio_"

Harry easily avoided the cruciatus and started to pick up speed. "_Electriano Claustrum_" were the words uttered by Harry and a bolt of lightning moved towards the death eaters. Both of them managed to evade the spell but the injured one started to accelerate faster than his partner.

"_Crucio_" this time both the death eaters said the same spell. Harry, moving quite fast now, did a complete 360 degree turn around his broomstick as the spells went harmlessly by.

"_Illud Legio_" Harry aimed the bone fracturing spell at the first wizard and turned towards the second one and said two quick spells - "_Silex Clypeus_" and "_Abutor Volatus Vis_ ". A conjured stone block moved towards the second death eater. For some reason, Harry had come to like this stone conjuring spell.

Both the death eaters barely managed to avoid the spells. Harry and his opponents were now approaching each other at very high relative velocities. Harry had put up his glove shield once again and he only took the care to avoid the unforgivables. The distance of 200 odd feet had been reduced to only about 75 feet by now. Harry's shields had absorbed four spells but he had yet to cast one. Harry using all the skill he had and kept avoiding the spells as if they were mere bludgers on the quidditch field. As he came closer, he saw two cruciatuses coming towards him.

Knowing that the shield was of no use against the unforgivables, Harry knew he had to do something different to avoid getting hit. He was too close to move out of the way and rolling over was also not an option since one of the spells was aimed at his body while the other was aimed at the area below the Firebolt. Taking a split second to come to his decision, Harry rotated his body by 90 degrees. Body parallel to the ground below, Harry took aim and said "_Stupefy_" at the same moment as the spells passed by harmlessly. The ray of light emitted from his wand was so powerful that everyone nearby felt the hair on their necks rising.

At a distance of 50 feet, it was impossible for the death eater on the right to avoid Harry's spell which was traveling faster than normal. He got hit squarely on the chest and was thrown back a long way in the air. Harry, in the meanwhile, had regained his normal position and saw the other death eater moving straight at him. Harry's shield absorbed two spells cast at him by the death eater who accelerated towards his Firebolt. Even as Harry tried to maneuver himself out of the collision course, he knew it was not possible. As he steered his broom hard to the right, the tip of the death eater's broom hit him flush in the ribcage. For a moment, the death eaters and Harry's eyes met and Harry saw the look of untold hatred in them.

Harry somehow managed to hold onto his broom but the death eater threw himself on Harry. He was not letting Potter get away this time, not after his second brother had fallen that evening at the hands of Potter. The death eater toppled Harry from his broom but Harry had a clear shot at him. As he fell, he shot off a stunning spell and was satisfied to see it hit the target. However, his satisfaction was only short lived as the force of gravity pulled him downwards in a freefall.

**&&&&**

"How well are we doing?" Tonks asked Remus. As soon as the fighting had started, Remus had conjured up an iron wall while Tonks had taken down one of the seven death eaters and pocketed his wand. After that, the death eaters had also conjured up a wall and were shooting off spells from behind it.

"You mean how bad we are doing, right?" Remus asked as he peeked out once more. No sooner had he made his head visible that a spell came flying towards him. He reacted very quickly and the spell just grazed the side of the iron wall and hit the shimmering white wall behind them.

"Whatever" Tonks replied as she shot off another spell. Both sides kept shooting off spells but to no effect.

"We have to get out of here" Remus replied as Tonks shot off another spell. "Any ideas?"

"You mean any ideas apart from defeating six death eaters and walking up the stairs and going back home?" Tonks queried as Remus shot off a spell.

"Whatever" this time the reply came from Remus.

"Damn...I can't get a clear shot at them" Tonks said in frustration. "We should break up and take them from either flank". Remus gave a quick nod of the head and conjured up an iron wall nearby. Looking at Tonks for one last time, he ran over to his new 'post' and started shooting off spells. However, as soon as Remus had gone over, Tonks had a new idea.

"_Creo Speculum_". As soon as these words were said by Tonks, a small mirror got conjured. Tonks leviated the mirror to the far side of the wall until it was just in front of the shimmering area. Slowly, but surely, Tonks moved the mirror to the left side so that she could have a clear view of the death eaters. Within a few seconds, the mirror was in the correct position to show the whole of the death eaters conjured wall.

"Tonks..." Remus whispered. "...give me cover"

"Hold on for a minute" Tonks whispered back, keeping a lookout on the mirror. Almost simultaneously, she saw a death eater peeking out from behind the wall and taking aim at Remus's position.

"_Expelliarmus_" Tonks had gone down on her stomach and rolled out from behind the wall. The spell hit the death eater and his wand came flying towards Tonks, along with a spell from another death eater. To avoid getting hit by the spell, Tonks rolled back behind the wall cover but caught hold of the wand as it passed by.

"Gotcha" Tonks said in delight as she pocketed the wand. The next moment, a spell went past her and destroyed her conjured mirror. "_Damn_" this was the only thought which came to Tonks's mind.

Remus, on the other hand, was deep in thought. This fight didn't make any sense. These death eaters were not trying to kill them but were content with keeping them at bay. Also, from the level of spells being fired by these death eaters, it was clear that they were rookies and it was a kind of a practice lesson for them. But why were they being kept here? One _Reducto_ spell would be enough to destroy the iron wall in front of them and yet they were not doing anything like that. What could be the cause?

"Remus...I am going out..."

"_Reducto_" these words could be heard loud and clear by both the light wizards. They knew that one of the iron walls was the target. Seeing that they didn't have the time to setup a shield, both of them started running away as fast as they could. But neither had managed to take more than one step when the wall in front of Remus was blasted away. Both Tonks and Remus jumped at the moment to avoid getting hit by the sharpnel. As Tonks was falling to the ground, she heard a scream from her right. Looking around, she saw the body of Remus, pierced by sharpnel all over, falling to the ground.

Tonks lay still for a few moments and gaped at the still body of Remus. He didn't move. As Tonks overcame the shock, anger took over her very being. She looked behind and saw that she was still hidden from the death eaters view due to the wall in front of her. Deciding to take the battle to the death eaters zone, she took out one of the two other wands in her pocket.

Backing away a few paces, Tonks shouted "_Reducto_". Two rays ensued from the two wands respectively and sped towards the wall. In a split second, the wall in front of her was blown away to smithereens.

"Let's see if you can handle me" an angry Tonks said, a wand in either hand.

**&&&&**

"Dobby!" Fleur's voice was frightened as she felt Dobby shiver beside her. It was almost as if something was happening to him from time to time.

"Yes Missy Delacour?" Dobby said.

"What is happening to you?"

"Dobby is feeling every barrier getting broken down" Dobby said in a shaky voice. "Dobby is having to fight bad wizards"

"WHAT!" Mr. Delacour exclaimed.

"Dobby is coming back soon" Dobby said and made his way out of the room. He was so preoccupied in his own thoughts that he completely forgot to lock the door of the room. Seeing the opportunity, Mr. Delacour stepped out in the corridor followed by his wife. Fleur also joined them after persuading Gabrielle to stay with her elder brother.

"Dobby is not letting you come any further" they heard Dobby's voice from the hallway. All three looked at each other in fear and hurried over. When they were close enough to have a peek, they saw a single elf standing in front of 7 death eaters.

"Get out of the way, elf" a death eater said. "You are just delaying us"

"Dobby is not moving an inch" came the stubborn reply.

"Then I will have to do the honors" the death eater replied in a sarcastic voice. "_Ossis Contero_" came the next words from the wizard's mouth. At the same moment, Dobby snapped his fingers and a red shield appeared in front of him. The death eater's spell hit the wall and dissipated, but not before the shield had also cracked. Dobby, who had been holding on the shield with his own magic, was thrown back a few feet.

"So this elf here knows some magic" one of the death eaters said. "Interesting! Anyway, let me just finish him off so we can find the others". With that, the wizard lifted his wand and said "_Avada K…_". Before the wizard could finish the spell, a fireball hit him. The wizard was thrown off his feet and he crashed into the wall behind him. As he slumped to the ground, the remaining death eaters trained their eyes on the newcomers - one wizard and two veela's who had turned into birds.

"You want to get us, don't you? Then come on" Mrs. Delacour said in a hissing voice as she turned her head to look into the eyes of one of the death eaters. The next moment, all hell had broken loose in the Delacour Manor.

**&&&&**

Tonks seemed like a possessed person. She seemed to be moving with increased agility and nervous energy. There was no denying the fact that her spells were very powerful which showed why she had been picked as an auror at such an early age.

"_Creo Ensis_". A conjured sword came flying towards Tonks.

"_Flamma Orbis_" came the shout from Tonks as she ducked below the sword. Two huge balls of fire erupted from the two wands and made their way towards the death eaters. All the death eaters got out of the way but Tonks had something else up her sleeve.

"_Scindo Res_" the next spell had Tonks pointing both her wands towards a single spot on the ground. As both the spells hit their targets, the very ground started to split up. In the blink of an eyelid, Tonks moved both the wands upwards. Two cracks appeared on the station floor and they moved in a criss-cross manner towards the death eaters. Four of the death eaters managed to scramble out of the way while two others tried to block the spell. But no one succeeded as the earth split between their feet and, as the rays moved forwards, both the death eaters found themselves in the way. The spell, which could split up any object, ended up cutting the death eaters bodies into different proportions.

"You started this damned bloody war" Tonks spat at the remaining four wizards. "Now, you are going to face the music". Even as Tonks finished this sentence, two of the death eaters were already casting their spells. Tonks barely managed to jump out of the first spell but managed to stop the second one.

"_Aqua Flatus_" Tonks shouted as jets of water shot towards the death eaters. As the death eaters tried to evade it, one of them sent the killing curse towards Tonks.

"_Silex Clypeus_" Tonks shouted and a stone block was conjured just in front of her. The curse hit the block and blasted it apart. But this time, Tonks somehow managed to create a shield in front of her to stop the splinters from hitting her. How, Tonks didn't know, but her whole body seemed to be working at top gear.

"_Dementor Assimulo_". This was a dark spell and Tonks rarely used it. This spell was a dementor effect simulator. It made the affected person feel as if all the happiness had gone out of the world. Aurors were permitted to use this spell only in the gravest of situations. Even as the death eaters put up shields to stop it, Tonks shouted "_Ensis Neo Funis_".

No sooner had the words come out of Tonks mouth that one of the death eaters gulped at the sight. A whiplash had appeared out of thin air, waiting for Tonks to point out the target. The difference between this whiplash and the normal ones was that this one was as sharp as a sword. One touch of this whiplash could mean a severed limb. Only talented and powerful wizards and witches could cast this spell as it took a lot of magical energy. Similarly, only powerful wizards and witches could come up with a shield to block it. A normal _Protego_ charm was ineffective in front of this.

"_Redeo Concupisco_". This was a risky spell on Tonks part. This spell meant that, after reaching the target (and destroying whatever came into the path), the whiplash would boomerang back to Tonks.

The whiplash, rotating around its centre, made its way towards the death eaters with lightning speed. One of the death eater got out of the way of the shining, razor sharp object while another tried to destroy it with the _Reducto_ spell. Luckily for Tonks, the death eater's spell missed the whiplash, mainly because of the very thin target area it provided. The other death eaters scrambled to move out of the way but the death eater who had cast the spell didn't have enough time for that. The whiplash went diagonally through his chest and showed what it was capable of doing. The parts of the body fell on the ground in a heap which caused many muggles to feel sick. Even the remaining death eaters looked shaken at this sight.

"_Avada Kedavra_" one of the death eaters shot the spell towards Tonks. But, as luck would have it, all he managed to do was hit the whiplash which was making its way back towards Tonks. The whiplash was blasted into pieces at the impact.

"_Caecus Visum_" the blinding spell was cast by one death eater followed by the cry of _Enqueo Distinguo Castra_ by another death eater. This second spell was used to paralyze the any body part it hit.

"_Multi Consulo Speculum_" Tonks whispered and a transparent shield appeared in front of her. The specialty of this spell was that it reflected any spell cast on it into multiple instances of the same spell. As both the blinding spell and the crippling spell were reflected back, the three death eaters set up wide shields. After all, they had to save themselves from 18 rays of light speeding towards them. Even though they had setup strong shields, one of the death eater's luck seemed to run out as 9 spells crashed into his shield alone, causing it to break apart. The 10'th spell headed his way caused an ear splitting shriek to fill the whole of the platform. All the muggles who had felt sick after seeing the effect of the earlier spell threw up instantly as the death eater's eyes started to bleed. Soon, his eyeballs started to melt away even as he kept on screaming. The screaming stopped only when the death eater collapsed on the ground in an unconscious state, white liquid mixed with red blood still oozing from his eyes.

The remaining two death eaters looked nervous now. Five of their group had been taken out by this lady alone who seemed to be quite a skilled witch. Both looked at each other for a second before one of them pressed something against his chest. For a second, Tonks thought the death eaters were going to apparate away as she felt the anti-apparation wards being lifted. But neither of the death eaters moved an inch. Even as Tonks wondered what was going on, another seven death eaters arrived on the scene.

"_Damn_" Tonks thought to herself as she saw nine spells heading towards her.

**&&&&**

Harry could see the ground rushing nearer and nearer. He still had a firm grip on his wand but couldn't think of any spell which would cushion his fall. With every passing millisecond, the buildings below seemed to be growing bigger and bigger. Some flashes of lights seemed to pass him which, he guessed, were spells to stop his freefall. After all, Malfoy wouldn't like to be facing his lord with Harry's dead body when instructions were given to bring him back alive. As Harry continued to fall, a voice seemed to be calling out to him...a voice from within him. Though this voice was that of a foe, it made sense. It said "Play to your strengths". Harry instantly turned in mid-air and shouted "_Accio Firebolt_".

Harry felt the immense power behind the spell. This was mainly due to the two spells he had absorbed from the last death eater. As he continued to fall, he could hear a whooshing noise in the air. As he looked around, he saw a speck of light coming towards him. Squinting his eyes, he noticed it was the moonlight getting reflected from the polished surface of his Firebolt. Even as he saw the speck growing larger and larger, he could hear car horns and all kinds of noises from below. Looking downwards, he saw that he was headed straight for an alley next to the main road of the city.

As Harry's vision shifted between his broom and the ground down below, he started to estimate the distance. According to his estimates, he was about 100 feet above the ground level and the broom still had to come a long way. Harry nervously gazed from the broom towards the ground...from the ground towards the rapidly approaching broom. Approximately 75 feet were left when a group of kids opened the door of a house and stepped outside. They seemed to be waiting for their parents to come out. "_What the hell?_" Harry thought as he gazed from the kids to the broom. The broom was still about 10 feet away and Harry started to sweat in the cold. He was headed directly for the spot where the kids were present.

Approximately 45 feet left to go and the broom was only about 4 feet away. Harry tried to reach out to the broom but failed. As he gazed below, he was shocked to see the rest of the family making their way out. If he fell, not only would he get killed himself, but he would most probably fatally injure a couple of others.

Approximately 25 feet left to go and the broom was a couple of feet away. Harry gave one last look towards the people below and stretched towards the broom with all his strength. He had to reach it, not only for himself, but also for the people below.

20 feet left to go and Harry could almost touch the tip of the broom. 15 feet left to go and Harry somehow managed to get a hold onto the broom with his left hand. With all his might and strength, Harry redirected the broom to be parallel to the ground and gave a tug forward. The broom, which had slowed down considerably, followed Harry's instructions. Even as the broom came parallel to the ground by making one of the steepest turns, its distance from the ground was a mere 10 feet. Harry folded his legs as he neared one of the kids and passed cleanly over her. The next kid was taller and Harry somehow managed to get his right hand securely over the brooms handle and raised himself even more. His knees scraped the hair of the kid as he flew over him and towards safety.

**&&&&**

"MOM" the kid whose hair had been ruffled by Harry's knees shouted. "Look...a flying man"

"Yes dear" his mother replied casually as she locked the door.

"I am not joking...not this time" the kid said.

"I know...I know". His mother didn't seem too interested in this topic and kept checking other things.

"He's waving at me" the kid seemed enthusiastic and started to wave in the direction of the _flying man_. His other siblings were too busy in their own worlds to look at Harry.

"Nice to know that son. Let's go or we will be late for the celebrations". The woman grabbed the hands of her two small girls aged 3 and 5 years respectively. "Michael...come on" she shouted over her back as she moved towards the main road.

"Coming" Michael replied as he ran towards his mother. As he looked back, the _flying man_ was nowhere to be seen.

**&&&&**

"_Phew...that was close_" Harry thought as he hung onto his moving Firebolt. His right palm was already starting to hurt because of the wand between the palm and the broomstick. As Harry tried to pull himself up on the broom, he saw one of the kids talking excitedly to the woman and pointing towards him. Waving at the kid for a second, Harry somehow managed to pull himself up on the broom. Feeling relaxed for the first time in the past 1 minute, Harry steered his broom upwards.

No sooner had Harry climbed more than 10 feet or so, he noticed a jet of light coming towards him from his left side. Harry rolled over for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening and the spell went past him harmlessly. He tried to accelerate upwards but another spell came towards him. As he avoided this spell too, he saw that the remaining 20 odd death eaters had started to close in on him.

"_Must have followed the Firebolt_" Harry thought as he accelerated forward into another alley. A few death eaters followed him from behind while the others started cursing him as they traveled along the top of the buildings. In front of him, he saw the alley getting divided into two portions, one which lead to the main road while the other took him into another alley. He made a sharp right turn even as a spell hit the corner bricks, shattering them to pieces. Harry kept on accelerating to escape the spells. More and more death eaters were unable to target him even for a second. The more they anticipated his position, the faster he moved causing the spell to hit something behind him.

Harry was now moving at a breakneck speed. One of the spells was very well aimed and Harry saw the light out of the corner of his eyes. He ducked and made a 90 degree turn into another alley. He heard a muffled sound from behind him and assumed that some of the death eaters had crashed into the walls when they had tried to follow him into the alley. Harry saw a host of sub-alleys branching off on both his sides and took the second on the left, making another 90 degree turn. Some of the death eaters failed to make this turn. Instead, they made the next turn which ran parallel with the one Harry had taken. Harry slowed down slightly as he passed between buildings on either side. There were many connecters between this alley and the next one and Harry caught sight of the death eaters flying in the next alley. Had he been a second late, he would have been unable to see a cruciatus heading his way. Harry sped through the alley but was surprised to find a single death eater matching him step for step. Harry knew that only a Firebolt could match another one and hence the conclusion was obvious.

Another fork came in front of Harry. Turning right would lead him directly into the other death eater, so he turned left. There was another gap in between two buildings on his right side and Harry steered his Firebolt into it, hoping that two quick turns would throw off the death eaters off his track. However, on hearing a sound from behind him, Harry saw that the same death eater seemed to have made the steep turn. In other circumstances, Harry would have stopped to meet the person who could fly so skillfully but now was not the time. Harry steered left at the next gap and made another left turn. The death eater also made the turns easily and Harry couldn't help but appreciate his skill. He knew he was up for a real flying match.

The alley Harry was currently in had a dead end. Harry went at full speed towards the building in front and, at the last moment possible, pulled hard to steer the Firebolt up the vertical wall. The death eater also did the same though the speed was lacking. Once Harry saw the death eater following him up the building, he made turned around completely and accelerated even more. Before the death eater had a chance to do anything, Harry had passed him and was speeding back the way he had come. The death eater followed him but the gap seemed to have widened a lot. Harry made two quick left turns and then a right turn. He quickly glanced around and knew that he wasn't been followed anymore. Giving a sigh of relief, he saw a bigger alley in front of him and turned left. This alley led straight to the main road from where Harry could easily take off in any direction.

"You fly well Potter" Malfoy's voice echoed in the alley as Harry saw the exit point getting filled with death eaters. Harry made a 180 degree turn once again but found the opposite end of the alley blocked by another set of death eaters. Looking from one group to the other, Harry understood that he had no other way than go upwards. He knew that going upwards was fruitless because at least 7-8 death eaters had been monitoring the area from the top. Still, Harry made a perpendicular climb only to stop midway up the 50 storey building. The death eaters had the top covered too.

"Like I said, you fly well" Malfoy repeated as both the death eaters groups rose to Harry's height, maintaining the distance all along. "But you lack tactics" Malfoy laughed and sent a spell towards Harry. Even as Harry put up his shield, he saw that Malfoy had hit an area 2 feet in front of him and blasted off some bricks. Soon, many spells were flying in from all directions, hitting areas all around Harry.

"You are so helpless" Malfoy mocked. Harry knew that the death eaters were just toying with him and they wanted some fun before taking him to Voldemort. The only thing that stuck him as odd was that the death eater flying the Firebolt didn't shoot off a single spell. Maybe he wanted to settle matters on a broomstick only, Harry thought.

"You are right Malfoy" Harry's voice caused everyone to stop cursing. "I lack tactics. But remember one thing..." Malfoy stirred slightly at this. "...never underestimate me". With that, Harry dived at full speed towards the ground.

**&&&&**

Tonks looked on as she saw nine spells coming towards her. Though none of them were the unforgivables, they had enough power in them to take any single person's life. Tonks knew she had to cast a shield and move as fast as she could. In a reflexive motion, she raised her wand and cast one of the most advanced spells known to aurors - one which had the capacity to block everything apart from the unforgivables and some other dark spells. Even as she was casting the spell, Tonks had already started to jump in the air. She had to get out of the way.

The shield created by Tonks managed to stop four spells while Tonks avoided three others as she bent her body in an amazing manner. But that didn't prove enough to save her from the remaining two spells. One of them hit her on her left arm while the other hit her on her left leg. The spells hit Tonks with so much force that she was thrown back and spun around in mid-air. She flew a few feet backwards and landed with a cry of pain.

"Looks like the auror finally got a taste of her own medicine" one of the death eaters remarked in a mocking tone. Tonks lay motionless for a few seconds before stirring again.

"I can...ahhhhhhhhh...take more" she said with great difficulty. As she tried to move, she felt an immense pain in the left portion of her body. Also her right hand felt strangely empty and she realized that she had lost her wand too.

"Really?" one of the death eaters summoned Tonks's wand and started dwindling with it. "I like your spirit. You could join us and serve our master"

Tonks didn't say anything in reply but slowly extended her right hand down towards her right pocket. The wand of one of the death eaters was still in her possession and it was her last chance. As soon as she felt the wand in between her fingers, she took it out in a flash and muttered two spells in a flash - "_Arceo Cella_" and "_Plurimus Cella Propero_". These were the same spells which Harry had used to defeat 9 opponents in the trunk during a practice session. A conjured room enclosed the death eaters and a huge iron ball started moving inside it.

The death eaters seemed taken aback at what had just happened. They had neither expected to be cornered in a conjured room and neither had they expected that an iron ball would be moving randomly in it. One of the death eaters blasted away the iron ball which only increased the number of balls in the room. As the death eaters watched in horror, one of their members got stuck by one of the balls and his head got smashed to pulp. Another one faced a similar fate while a third death eater was less lucky. Two iron balls broke his legs while two more broke his arms. One of the balls smashed his chest. He lay on the ground withering in great pain. It was quite a while before one of the balls smashed his head. One by one, all the death eaters seemed to be going down and the whole area seemed to be filling with pools of blood. The last death eater decided not to die such a horrific death. Instead, he cast the killing curse on himself and committed suicide.

Tonks quickly put on the anti-apparation charm on the whole station again and dragged herself toward Remus. Remus was lying in a small pool of blood but his injuries didn't seem as grave as Tonks had first estimated. Tonks quickly cast some healing charms and enervated Remus.

"Hey" Remus said weakly.

"Hi" Tonks's voice seemed even weaker.

"You are in worse shape than me" Remus looked alarmed. After surveying the scene around him, he added "I think we ought to get back to the Manor as soon as possible. We are needed there"

"Needed? What do you mean by that?" Tonks said in a surprised tone. She was feeling very weak and tired but her senses were on high alert.

"Don't you see it Tonks?" Remus said. "Most of these guys were newly recruited. They didn't cast all the deadly spells which experienced death eaters do"

"So?"

"That means the experienced death eaters must be someplace else" Remus said in fearful voice.

"Someplace named Delacour Manor" Tonks seemed shocked as the truth dawned upon her. How could she be such a fool as not to understand the plan?

Getting up from the floor with great difficulty and without waiting for another second more, Tonks summoned a torn piece of clothing. Turning it into a portkey, she looked around for one last time. The muggles looked terrified at what they had just seen while many had already fainted. They would all be obliviated by the French Ministry and hence, Tonks wasn't particularly worried. She was more worried about the Delacour family...and Harry. What would she do if something happened to...

"Tonks" Remus said in a whisper which bought Tonks back to the reality. Giving a nod, Tonks activated the portkey which Remus was holding. Almost instantaneously, they found themselves within a few meters of the Delacour Manor.

**&&&&**

Harry had seen a window open in a room on the seventh floor of the building and there seemed to be another window on the other side of the room which opened up someplace else. He knew he had to make his way through it at any cost. Harry setup a stronger shield as spells burst all around him. As he came nearer, he took out his wand and blasted off the window pane. In another split second, Harry was through it and out of the other window. But he was not alone to pass through the room. Within seconds, the death eaters had followed him through the room as well. What they hadn't expected was to come out in the middle of the Christmas celebrations.

**&&&&**

"Ladies and gentlemen, those were the Sorenson Brothers for you..." Harry heard a booming voice announcing something to the assembled people. It seemed that about a few thousand people had gathered near a huge lake for Christmas celebrations and many kinds of shows were going on. The announcers seemed to be seated on a stage about 20 feet high.

"MOM...look...the flying man" a kid in the middle of the huge crowd pointed skywards towards the direction of Harry. "AND THERE ARE OTHER FLYING MEN WITH HIM TOO!". Michael seemed very excited at having made his point. His mother looked up to see where he was pointing and many others did the same. A buzz went round the crowd as they saw the twenty odd flying people.

"What is that?" one of the announcers asked his co-announcer just as he had switched off the microphone. "Who are they and..."

"I don't know" his co-announcer replied. "We don't have anything like this on schedule"

"Damn it" the aged announcer said angrily. "Well...we got to cover it anyway". With that, the announcer switched on the microphone again.

"Ladies and gentlemen...". Even though the announcer looked really angry, his voice didn't betray his emotions. "This year's surprise event - The Flying Show". The assembled people looked slightly bewildered but then nodded in appreciation. They had never seen something like this and they were surely going to enjoy this. A roar went up in the air and people started clapping.

"As you can see, this is an air stunt of the highest quality..." the announcer continued. "...with our lead man being followed by his whole team. The leader is now heading towards the waterfront. Watch out...hmmm…Steve…there is an electric pole ahead. Wow...he evaded the pole so skillfully. He is now heading towards the water front with his group shooting off lasers in mid air"

"What are they using to fly?" the announcer asked in a whisper to his team members. Getting no reply from any of them, he continued with "Steve's" group and their performance.

"Steve and his group are now above the water. It seems they have some special tricks planned for us. Steve shoots off a laser which has hit one of his group members. The guy has fallen straight into the icy cold water. Have a nice bath dear sir". Many people laughed at this. "Now Steve's group is shooting off lasers at him. Steve ducks below one and maneuvers his...flying machine...above the other. Oh my god...Steve seems hit". A collective gasp could be heard as everyone's attention was captured by the 'Airshow'.

"Steve is still flying on his machine. He seems to be straightening again. Thank god Steve, you gave us a scare there. Steve is still being followed by his group even as he does a large circle of the lake. Watch out, another laser is headed towards you...whoa...Steve does a last minute somersault and the laser passes just where he had been a second before. But what does he do now? Multiple lasers are headed his way. We got to hold...oh my god...Steve is picking up speed"

"Ladies and gentlemen...have you ever seen anything like this before? None of the lasers seem to be anywhere near him as Steve still keeps accelerating. No...hold...one member is breaking away from the rest of the group. He too is picking up speed. Whoa...Steve slows down slightly and dives. The lasers pass him and crash into some old buildings and fireworks go off. The other member has also dived and is trying to catch up with Steve. Don't you love it?"

"Who are these guys and why are they blasting apart buildings?" the announcer asked to no one in particular before resuming his live telecast.

"Steve is now almost touching the water. Here he comes, followed closely by the second member, and...he passes by in a huge rush. CAN YOU FEEL THE WIND IN YOUR FACE AS HE RUSHED BY AT FULL SPEED? CAN YOU SEE THE WAVES OFF WATER AS HE PASSES BY? This is one great show. Well Steve, you got competition from your team members. They seem to be picking up speed too but Steve and the other guy are way ahead of them. Hold on...do I have poor eyesight or are both the guys in front _still_ picking up speed? I just don't believe my eyes! Steve is going round and...no...he is decreasing the radius of his circular movements. BUT...the second guy seems to be closing on him. Hurry up Steve or you will have to follow the other one" the announcer was almost on his feet now. Little did he know that a game of life and death was going on in front of him.

"Both these guys are almost a blur now. I can bet that none of you have ever seen anything fly so fast. Steve...where is he? The second guy...he is also a blur now. Many of his group members have given up any chances of catching up with him. Instead, they have encircled the whole area within which Steve is moving. It seems they are afraid to shoot lasers at Steve now. Maybe they fear Steve will be too fast for it and one of the members on the other side will get hit. But is there any way out for Steve in this? This is the question which we are asking ourselves now"

"God...who _are_ these people?" the announcer threw up his hands in desperation as he switched off the microphone to take a break. The crowds below him were also gasping at the sight in front of them. The whole water front was now lit up by the high powered focus lights and they could see two blurs going in circles. They didn't know what exactly 'Steve' was up to but he seemed to be _still_ accerlerating.

"These two are...hold on a second, what is that?".

**&&&&**

"_Who is this guy?_ _He seems a great flyer._" Harry thought as he continued his circular motions. Even though the announcer was saying something like 'smaller circles', Harry was still moving in a circle whose radius had to be about 200 feet. He knew that getting out of here was almost impossible since the death eaters had cordoned off the whole area but the fact was that he liked it. He knew that something like this will not go unnoticed by the French aurors and they would be here any moment now. As he kept on moving, he saw flying figures coming from all sides. Looking carefully, he noticed that these new entrants were not death eaters. All had some kind of an emblem just near their shoulders and Harry came to the conclusion that these were French ministry people. His suspicions were proved true when a magically magnified voice was heard.

"In the name of the French Minister, I order you all to stop right now".

Harry knew this was the moment he had been waiting for and he had to grab it NOW. Even as he continued to fly, he pointed his wand at the water and said "_Aqua Turbo_". Instantly, a huge wall of water formed a circular wall around Harry, separating him from everyone's view. It seemed like a twister had hit the water where Harry had been. Harry knew he had to act fast as the spell's effect would be wearing off soon. Even as the twister continued to move around Harry, he took out a marble from his pocket and turned it into a portkey. Just as the water came down with a crash, Harry activated the portkey and arrived two blocks from the Delacour Manor, leaving behind a few thousand stunned people.

"Whoa..." Harry said out loudly as he cruised towards the manor. That had really been the ride of his life. But now, something seemed odd here. Everything around him seemed quite; rather everything seemed too quite for comfort. As the manor came into view, Harry came to an abrupt stop. Smoke was rising from every part of the Delacour Manor which seemed to have been devastated. As Harry looked around, he gulped in fear. A few feet from the Manor gate, Tonks and Remus were lying unconscious.

"_What the hell happened here_?" Harry thought and moved forward, his wand clutched tightly and all his senses on high alert.

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

The 21'st chapter! This chapter is one of the toughest I have written till now. Was this chapter fun to read or did I drag on unnecessarily? I really don't know whether you guys could visualize the flying scenes.

**spike blade** – Harry and Tonks will get to know about each others feelings soon (hopefully).

**PzkwVIb** – Thanks for pointing out the errors.

**coolpig** – Yeah…I messed up the 'quiet' word. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. And yes, I really appreciate all the reviews which help me improve the current story and my writing skills (though it is just a hobby).

**xoRetributionox** – Here are the answers to your questions:

1) The timeline for everyone is variable in their **own** rooms. So, if Tonks wants the time in her own room to be the same as Hogwarts time, it's up to her wish. But, there will still be a minor difference because the timeline in the dining room etc. are based on Harry's wish. So, there will be a minor (in many cases negligible) difference.

2) Yes. Harry eats some meals in the great hall and some in the trunk.

3) Harry will find out how Tonks feels for him.

4) Does Harry like Tonks? Hmmm…what should I do? Maybe I will make him like Bellatrix. And when Neville kills (will he?) Bellatrix, Harry and Neville will become sworn enemies. Just kidding. :)

Anyway, I really can't answer that question now.

**To all those people who have reviewed** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	22. Holiday Events Part III

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 22 - Holiday Events (Part III)**

Smoke was rising from every part of the Delacour Manor which seemed to have been devastated. As Harry looked around, he gulped in fear. A few feet from the Manor gate, Tonks and Remus were lying unconscious. "_What the hell happened here_?" Harry thought and moved forward, his wand clutched tightly and all his senses on high alert.

**&&&&**

"Albus...Alb..."

"What's the matter Minerva?" Dumbledore looked up in alarm as he saw the heckled state in which Minerva McGonagall had entered his office.

"Harry" came the short reply.

"What about Harry?" Dumbledore looked deep into the eyes of the Transfiguration teacher. "Please have a seat and...

"No...there is no time for that" McGonagall tried to emphasize the urgency of her point. "The Delacours have been attacked". Dumbledore didn't reply at the mention of this fact. Taking out some floo powder from his pocket, he contacted Arthur Weasley. After a brief conversation Dumbledore got up on his feet and led the way out of his office.

"We have an Order meeting in 2 minutes time" Dumbledore informed McGonagall who was struggling to keep up with him.

"You shouldn't have let him go there" McGonagall said.

"What could I have done to stop him Minerva?" Dumbledore led the way towards the perimeter of the anti-apparation wards. "I just couldn't force him to stay here"

"But you had everything setup so that he could be safe here" McGonagall protested.

"And don't you think he would have tried to force his way out if I had stopped him?" Dumbledore replied. "You know that it is he who is protecting us and not the other way around"

"But your months of work..."

"That's immaterial" Dumbledore replied curtly. "The important thing is whether Harry is happy the way he is. Keeping him here against his wishes is like putting him under house arrest"

"Castle arrest" McGonagall corrected Dumbledore. Even though the situation was a grave one, a slight flicker of smile passed through Dumbledore's face.

"Is Harry safe?" Dumbledore asked even though all his senses were telling him that it was an illogical question. Just because he didn't say anything about Harry didn't mean that he was unaware of Harry's capabilities.

"We only know that a person with a Firebolt is safe". McGonagall replied as they reached the area where the anti-apparation wards ended. The next moment, both of them were walking towards the Order's headquarters. "That person can be none other than Harry". McGonagall continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.

"I see" Dumbledore replied. "When did the attack take place?"

"A couple of hours ago" McGonagall informed Dumbledore.

"What about the other's?" Dumbledore asked. "The Delacours, Re..."

"No news" McGonagall shuddered as she replied. She did not even dare to think of a situation where somebody may have got hurt or even...

Soon, the inner circle of the Order was in a huddle and was discussing their next step. Everyone knew that they just couldn't apparate in France without the Ministry's permission. Only Dumbledore could go there without anyone questioning his authority and international rules allowed him to take along another person of his choice as an aide.

"I think I should leave immediately" Dumbledore said and stood up.

"But who are you taking with you?" Arthur asked.

"Oh...I almost forgot" Dumbledore replied calmly. "Minerva, you stay here and manage everything. Severus, please come with me"

**&&&&**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?". The voice of Molly Weasley seemed to shake every brick of The Burrow.

"Molly..." Arthur Weasley went over to his wife and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "...Dumbledore is already there. We don't have to worry about..."

"DON'T HAVE TO WORRY?" Mrs. Weasley looked at her husband in astonishment. "We don't have to worry about what Arthur? We don't have to worry about Harry getting hurt? We don't have to worry about him mixing with those two people?"

"Don't bring Remus and Tonks into this" Arthur Weasley cautioned his wife.

"We don't have to worry about him running away?" Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to have heard anything. "We don't have to worry that he shows up in Azkaban? We don't have to worry that he might have...that today...that..." Mrs. Weasley broke down at this point. She couldn't carry on much longer like this. It had been ages since Harry had spoken to her. She was not angry with him though. Teenager's rebelled but that didn't mean that their mother's would care less about them. Today, when he was in trouble, she couldn't even help him...couldn't be at his side to hold him...to take away all the trouble he was facing.

"Nothing has happened to Harry" Mr. Weasley whispered as he helped his wife sit down on the nearest chair. "He is fine"

"You are lying to me" Mrs. Weasley said with a sniff. "You always lie to me about Harry"

"No honey, I would never do such a thing, would I?" Mrs. Weasley's coolness was the quality which Harry appreciated the most. "I might delay telling the truth but whenever Harry is concerned, I always tell it to you promptly"

"He is ok, isn't he? Oh Arthur, what would I do if..." Mrs. Weasley's eyes became misty again as her thoughts wandered. Her stare turned towards the floor as tears started to flow again.

"Molly...look at me". Mr. Weasley slowly lifted his wife's face so that both of them were eye to eye. "Trust me...he is ok". Mr. Weasley said soothingly. "You have my word for it. Do you trust me now?". Mrs. Weasley said nothing but nodded her head in a childlike fashion. She knew Arthur would never lie to her.

"Now, can I have some dinner?" Mr. Weasley asked pleasantly. As Mrs. Weasley headed towards the kitchen, Mr. Weasley had just one thought on his mind "_I hope you are alright Harry_"

**&&&&**

An hour earlier...

Harry's climbed upwards in his Firebolt as he surveyed the Delacour Manor. It seemed like a tornado had hit the whole Manor and the surrounding area. The lawn had disappeared and was now part of a huge crater. One of the towers at the back had already crumbled down while the second back tower seemed to be on heavy fire. Even though Harry's instincts told him to rush towards the house and check it for survivors, his mind told him otherwise. He couldn't afford the risk of going straight into a trap without checking the surrounding's first. As he glided over the whole area, he could not see a single soul moving. Even though all muggle objects seemed to be intact, all magical objects seemed to have been gravely affected.

After Harry was sure that no one was lurking around, he landed next to the unconscious bodies of his family. Both Tonks and Remus seemed hurt but it did not seem too bad. Harry quickly muttered some healing spells and seemed happy when they had their desired effect.

"_Enervate_" Harry said, pointing his wand at Remus. Much to his surprise, Remus didn't even stir. Harry repeated the spell again but nothing happened. Eyebrows knit in worry, Harry tried to enervate Tonks. The same spell was repeated by him and he got the same result. Harry looked puzzled as his gaze shifted from Tonks to Remus...from Remus to Tonks. Harry then tried some of the advanced spells he had learnt and was surprised to find that even they couldn't bring back Tonks or Remus to consciousness. The more Harry tried, the more worried he became. Whatever it was, only a _very _strong spell could have knocked them out in such a manner. And that strong spell would logically be the one which had caused the devastation of the manor.

Finally Harry decided that now was not a good time to keep on experimenting since he had to find the Delacours and Dobby as well. Harry leviated the bodies of Tonks and Remus and guided them inside the manor gates. Depositing the bodies in a dark corner inside the manor walls, Harry proceeded towards the main door.

The main door...well...nothing was left of the area which once held the front door. It looked as if a boulder had hit the front portion and had blown a gigantic hole into it. As Harry entered the manor building, he found feathers littered everywhere along with piles of rubble. Initially confused, he soon understood who the real owners of the feathers were. His heart beat increased as he frantically scrutinized the living room and the dining room. Despite the winter cold, Harry was perspiring heavily now as he saw the state of things in the manor. The living room sofa had been blown to smithereens while the dining room was in disarray. As Harry entered the dining room, clearing a lot of rubble to make a tiny path for himself, he heard a sound coming from somewhere. Looking around, he found nothing. As he listened even more intently, he concluded the sound was coming from above. It seemed like someone was weeping.

"FLEUR...MR. DELACOUR..." Harry shouted at the top of his lungs. Getting no reply, Harry ran at top speed towards the staircase only to curse his luck. Only the bottom two steps of the staircase were still present. Harry looked frantically around to find a way to climb up. After a few moments of thinking, he slapped himself on his forehead.

"_How did I forget that I could apparate?_". With this thought in his mind, Harry apparated outside the room where he had left the Delacour family. Now that he was there, he could hear the sound of weeping clearly. Harry took a step forward and turned the knob of the door but didn't open it. He was afraid...afraid of what he might find inside. He didn't want to go in and see someone hurt. He didn't want another casualty of the war. He felt as if a part of him was dying in him and knew something terrible had happened. He let go of the knob and backed away. His heart seemed to be thumping in his chest and his whole body seemed to be shaking in fear. No...he couldn't do it.

But how could he avoid the truth? How could he avoid what might have happened here? Everyone here was a part of his life. He just couldn't let them wander alone in the darkness when he was supposed to be the light bearer of the wizarding world. People trusted him and he just couldn't betray their trust. Closing his eyes, he took a couple of deep breaths. When he opened his eyes again, there was a steely resolve to it. He _had_ to look at what had happened and he _had_ to feel the pain of the others. Someday he would free himself from this pain but today was not the day. With his jaws set in firmly, Harry opened the door of the room.

"Fleur... Mr..." Harry's voice got stuck as he looked around the room. Harry couldn't let go of the door; rather he wouldn't let go of the door as it was his only support. The sight in front of him was one of unimaginable horror. He had never imagined that he would have to see such a day.

"NO!" A shout came from Harry as he rushed forward. Amongst the rubble, feathers and the blood, lay a heavily injured figure.

**&&&&**

"What do you mean by that?" a stunned Hermione echoed Mrs. Weasley's words as her world seemed to have been turned upside down. She had been slightly upset that Ron had unlocked her room's door and woken her up. But on hearing what Ron had to say, she knew that she would have done the same thing had she been in Ron's shoes.

"I don't know" Ron threw up his hands in the air. "I had just gone downstairs to grab some food when I heard mom yelling. I then sneaked around and heard about it"

"You mean..." Hermione breathing was getting faster by the moment. "You mean...ahhh...you mean...". Hermione just kept repeating the same words over and over again as the true meaning of Ron's words _finally_ sunk in.

"Yes Hermione, I mean exactly what you understood" Ron said as he slumped in a chair nearby.

"But...he couldn't...he wouldn't..." Hermione still had a puzzled look on her face. One part of her knew that Ron was telling the truth while the other part refused to believe that something like this could happen. How could Dumbledore leave Harry unprotected? How could Tonks and Remus fail to see and prevent something like this from happening?

"He wouldn't what? It _has_ already happened" Ron said sulkily.

"This can't be happening" Hermione said and covered her face with her hands. "I am having a nightmare...This is a nightmare"

"It is not" Ron said sarcastically. He also wanted to believe that the whole thing was a nightmare. He had even pinched himself when he had heard his parents talk. Alas, this was a nightmare from which there was no awakening.

"We have got to do something" Hermione jumped out of bed with such fervor that Ron was startled. "We have to assemble the D.A. We have to..."

"You know where Fleur lives?" Ron had regained his sulkymood. "If not, then please sit down. No one is going anywhere"

"Ron!" Hermione looked sternly at her boyfriend. "How can you say something like that? Harry was your best friend"

"_Is_" Ron corrected Hermione. Even though Harry didn't interact too much with him nowadays, he still felt that Harry was just as close to his heart as a few months ago. Harry could never be anything else other than his best friend.

"Sorry" Hermione replied, knowing fully well that she had touched a sensitive topic. "But we need to do something"

"Yes" Ron replied. "We sit here and wait for furthur news"

"Are you mad?" Hermione almost yelled. Hoping against hope that Mrs. Weasley had not heard her, she said through gritted teeth "How the hell can we sit here calmly? We have to assemble the D.A. _now_"

Ron gave a shrug of his shoulders and said "I didn't say we should wait _calmly_. You can chew your nails, destroy objects...do anything you like. But the fact is that we have to wait". Even as Hermione opened her mouth to protest, Ron continued "You want to assemble the D.A? Fine...do so. What happens after that?"

Hermione looked angrily at Ron. "At least, the D.A. would be ready for something" she argued.

"Hermione..." Ron said with a sigh. "This is not Hogwarts or Hogsmeade. We are talking about countries here. Oh c'mon...how come I am saying these things! You are the one who keeps thinking logically all the time"

"Logic my foot" Hermione scowled. "Why the hell did he have to go there? Must be the veela charm. I bet Fleur..."

"It doesn't work on him" Ron cut short Hermione's babble. He knew how much she cared about Harry and he couldn't blame her for coming up with all sorts of conspiracy theories. After all, how could one explain the fact that death eaters knew Harry's exact location?

"Maybe it does now" Hermione continued from where Ron had interrupted. "Fleur is now an adult and her veela power must have grown. She..."

"Are you jealous?" Ron looked keenly at Hermione.

"Of what?" Hermione asked indignantly, her angry face turning slightly red.

"Of Fleur. Of the fact that Harry interacts with her more than he does with us" Ron's eyes never left Hermione's face for a moment.

"I am not jealous" Hermione replied hastily. "I am angry. Angry because he is in a country where we can't even help him. Angry because he...he..."

"Cool down Hermione" Ron said a bit awkwardly. "I am also angry at Harry but that doesn't mean I should start blaming Fleur for the whole mishap. No one even knows whether they are alive or not"

"WHAT!" Hermione's eye's went wide in fear. All this while she had just been thinking about Harry and it never crossed her mind as to what might have happened to the others. What if someone had been injured? What if someone had died?

"Ron" Hermione's sounded very scared. "Could someone have been hurt...you know...hurt gravely..."

"Killed?" Ron helped out his girlfriend who seemed too afraid to even think of such a scenario. Hermione just gave a slight nod of her head. In reply, Ron just gave a shrug.

"What?" Hermione asked nervously. "Say something".

"Say what?" Ron's mood seemed to be worsening. "Damn Harry...he got everyone into trouble"

"Hey...don't you start blaming him" an angry Hermione shook her index finger at Ron. "It's not his fault"

"Of course it is" Ron said through gritted teeth. "Why did he leave Hogwarts? Why did he..."

"Will you stop blaming him?" Hermione felt her anger rising. Both of them were also trying their best not to scream at each other in the middle of the night. "It was that veela's fault"

"Oh yeah?" Ron asked mockingly. "The veela invited him but it was _he_ who accepted the invitation"

"So what?" This was turning into a full fledged argument. "That doesn't mean it was _his_ fault"

"It was his fault and don't you dare deny it" Ron was now leaning towards Hermione and his voice was like steel. "If he had been cautious..."

"Harry is _always_ cautious" Hermione punched her pillow in anger.

"On the contrary, I think he takes a lot of risks" Ron retorted.

"He is always cautious about others, you dumb-head" Hermione snapped. "But you seem to be too thick headed to understand it"

"Hello! Who is in France with a house destroyed by god-knows-how many death eaters?" Ron snapped back.

"Can you two calm down?". Hermione and Ron looked around to see Ginny standing in the doorway. In the middle of their argument, they had failed to even hear the unlocking of the door. "Another minute like this and mom would be standing here instead of me" Ginny added.

"Sorry" Hermione said meekly. She knew that emotions were running high on both sides and someone had to maintain a cool mind.

"Me too" Ron apologized quickly too. After all, there was no use arguing over whose fault it was and how it could have been prevented. Rather, they had to be on their toes now and wait for any news they could get about Harry. Cool heads were needed for this.

"What are you doing up so late?" Hermione asked as Ginny slid in and closed the door behind her.

"I had got up to drink some water when I heard you two having a mid-night conversation" Ginny replied. "Ron, what are you doing in Hermione's room? You know mom would have a fit if she found you here in the dead of the night"

"To hell with mom" Ron scowled. Realizing what he had said, he quickly apologized for his selection of words.

"We were discussing about Harry" Hermione said. With that, she explained to Ginny what Ron had overheard. Even a year ago, this extra explanation would not have been needed since Ginny and Hermione used to share the same room. But with Percy no longer around, Ginny no longer had to share her room. Percy's room had been turned into a guest room and Hermione had readily agreed to stay in it during the holidays.

After hearing what Hermione had said, Ginny just kept staring at her. She opened her mouth twice but couldn't say any words. Ron refused to meet anyone's eyes, least of all Ginny's. Even though Ginny seemed to be over Harry, she still had a soft corner for him. Even as Ron's chin dropped to touch his chest, Ginny started to shake her head.

"It's a joke, right?" Finally some words ensued from Ginny. Ron gave a particularly long sigh while Hermione said nothing. Getting no reply from either of the people present in the room, Ginny fell silent. She remembered all the times when Harry had helped them out and, when it should have been their turn, they were nowhere near him. How could someone do so much for the others and not get anything in return? Who knows what happened to the Delacours and Tonks and Remus?

"Why?" Hermione looked up after a long minute. Ron, who knew something was wrong with the voice, looked at her to see moist eyes brimming with tears.

"Why Harry?" Hermione asked again, he voice quavering with emotions. "Ron...why does he have to face all this?". Tears started to trickle down her face. "We live so happily...no one is after us and he..." Hermione choked at this point. "Only if we could share his troubles...why...why?"

Hermione kept on crying but Ron made no move to calm her down. How could he when his own feelings were just like Hermione's. Closing his eyes and leaning back, Ron said "Maybe that is the burden the name Harry Potter carries"

**&&&&**

"There were so many death eaters Harry" Mrs. Delacour sobbed as she recounted what had happened there. "Oh Harry...where were you?". Mrs. Delacour seemed to be breaking down mentally as she thought of what had happened. The fight that night had left her scarred, both physically and mentally.

"But how did this happen?" Harry asked in a rigid voice as he kept looking at the figure in front of him. Mrs. Delacour sobbed even more at this question but Harry didn't bother to soothe her. Nor did he leave her to her pains and grief. He _had_ to know what had happened here. Wiping her tears, Mrs. Delacour continued from where she had left off.

**&&**

"So this elf here knows some magic" one of the death eaters said. "Interesting! Anyway, let me just finish him off so we can find the others". With that, the wizard lifted his wand and said "_Avada K…_". Before the wizard could finish the spell, a fireball hit him. The wizard was thrown off his feet and he crashed into the wall behind him. As he slumped to the ground, the remaining death eaters trained their eyes on the newcomers - one wizard and two veela's who had turned into birds.

"You want to get us, don't you? Then come on" Mrs. Delacour said in a hissing voice as she turned her head to look into the eyes of one of the death eaters. The next moment, all hell had broken loose in the Delacour Manor.

Mr. Delacour took cover behind a cupboard and started shooting off spells at the death eaters. Fleur and Mrs. Delacour didn't take cover initially. They started shooting off fireballs in the direction of the death eaters.

"Take cover Fleur" Mrs. Delacour shouted as she threw a fireball which stopped a spell from hitting Fleur.

"I can't" Fleur replied and moved away to the right towards the place where Dobby was.

Mr. Delacour didn't worry too much for his wife knowing her capabilities fully well. In his hay days, Mr. Delacour had been quite a good dueler but some recent developments had hampered his ability for quick movements. He saw that they were outnumbered six to four but still had a good chance since his wife could easily taken on two death eaters herself. He knew that these people here were ruthless and would stop at nothing. Hence, if they had to finish this on their own terms, then it had to be real quick.

Mr. Delacour shot off a spell at a death eater but saw the spell get reflected by a shield. He saw a spell being shot towards him but ducked just in time before sending a spell at the other death eater. He had to take out at least one of the death eaters first.

Mrs. Delacour was not having as much problem as her husband. Her fireballs were enough for the spells being cast at here. But her main worry was Fleur who still wasn't able to control her veela emotions fully. This could sometimes lead to unfortunate accidents. Even as she kept worrying about Fleur, she saw two spells headed her way. Conjuring two fireballs in her two hands, she sent them sailing towards the spells. The spells and fireballs crashed into each other and an ear splitting sound was heard. Before the death eaters had time to recover, Mrs. Delacour sent two more fireballs towards them. It was only the high level of agility shown by the two death eaters which saved them from getting roasted.

"Running now?" Mrs. Delacour mocked.

"From a bird?" one other death eater asked mockingly. "Never". With that, he raised his wand and a orange light sped towards Mrs. Delacour. Mrs. Delacour gave a shriek of anger and threw a massive fireball towards the speeding light ray. Knowing what would happen next, Mrs. Delacour started conjuring up small fireballs, which took considerably less time, and started to throw them towards the spot she anticipated the death eater would be. The massive fireball and the spell collided in the middle of the room and each blasted the other apart. Even as the smoke was clearing, the death eater noticed a large number of smaller fireballs headed his way. He quickly apparated away as the fireballs crashed into the wall behind him and several holes were created in the wall.

**&&**

Fleur was having problems of her own. Though her mother was fighting three death eaters on her own, she knew that her mother couldn't hold on for too long. Also, her father was holding his own against a skilled death eater. That left two death eaters facing her and Dobby. Even though this seemed a much more balanced battle, it seemed Dobby was more intent on saving the others from harm. More than once he had created shields in front of Mrs. Delacour to stop her from getting hurt without caring for his own security.

"YOU ALL IS GOING BACK" Dobby shouted to the Delacours for what seemed like the millionth time. Fleur couldn't help but appreciate the courage of the elf. As Dobby finished his sentence, Fleur saw that a spell was on it's way towards Dobby. She quickly sent a Fireball to destroy the spell mid-way and only hoped that her aim was perfect. She still hadn't mastered the art of throwing fireballs but tonight she knew she had to do it. She almost jumped with joy when the fireball hit the spell and stopped it. Fleur was so consumed in her joy for a moment that she forgot that the death eater dueling her had sent a spell towards her. Only a last second intervention from Dobby saved her from the spell.

"Thanks Dobby" Fleur said as she saw the spell dissipate millimeters before hitting her.

"You is going back" Dobby hissed in a way which was very unlike him. Fleur didn't pay attention to Dobby's words and continued to fight. Dobby, in the meanwhile, gave a snap of his fingers and his opponent went crashing into the wall behind him. Fleur, knowing that her aim was not too good, started to conjure up small fireballs and threw them at blinding speeds at her opponent. The death eater initially tried to apparate out of the way of one of the fireballs but got hit by another one on his shoulder.

"Nasty veela" the death eater said through gritted teeth as he put up a shield which could stop the small fireballs. Looking around, he saw Mrs. Delacour fighting tooth and nail with three death eaters. He knew he had to do something to stop them. Their instructions had been to bring back Fleur and her sister back with them so there was no need for keeping the others alive. The death eater sent a painful curse at Fleur who blocked it with ease. But the split second lost in blocking it was too much time for the death eater to act. Aiming at Mrs. Delacour, he said "_Avada Kedavra_"

**&&**

Mrs. Delacour was fighting like a cornered tigress trying to protect her children and family. Even though she was facing three death eaters on her own, they didn't bother her too much. After all, she wasn't the best veela dueler of her generation for nothing.

The three death eaters were casting their spells almost simultaneously but somehow their spells were getting blocked by the fireballs. Even as this infuriated them to great extent, they knew that they had been misinformed about the capabilities of those present in this manor. One of the death eaters sent the cruciatus towards Mrs. Delacour but it was stopped by a fireball. Mrs. Delacour knew that she had to come up with something fast to stop everyone from cursing her simultaneously. It was then that she went into rapid fire mode.

Small fireballs seemed to be forming in her hands which were working in frenzy. The death eaters were not even able to see her hand movements which cast the fireballs at them. But they knew that they were in trouble. All of a sudden, it seemed like they were facing a machine gun spitting fire at them. Fireballs came thick and fast at them. Even though they were not too big, getting hit by these fireballs meant extensive pain for at least a couple of days even with magical healing spells. Another dark spell sped towards its target but Mrs. Delacour side stepped it with the agility she had always been famous for. Even as she had moved out of the way of the spell, she kept throwing fireballs rapidly at the three death eaters facing her. One of them got hit by one of the fireballs and staggered back slightly.

The injured death eater had had enough. He had come to the conclusion that they couldn't touch this lady from the front and hence, he apparated to a spot behind Mrs. Delacour. But the lady was alert as ever. She turned around instantly and positioned herself in a manner such that two death eaters were on her right side and the injured one was on the left side. Even as she glanced around, one of the two death eaters apparated to a place which was in front of her. Mrs. Delacour cast a glance at the scenario around her. Two death eaters were on either side of her while the third was in front of her.

"_This should be enough to let me know if I am still as good as I used to be_" Mrs. Delacour thought as she got ready for the fight at hand.

**&&**

Dobby's opponent was proving to be a tough nut to crack. Even after hitting the wall behind him on the full, he had managed to get back on his feet. If Dobby had wanted, he could have used the time to attack the death eater again but the problem was that he didn't want to hurt any person. He just couldn't bear the thought that he might have seriously injured a person when he/she was in an unfavorable situation. He knew he had to protect the Delacours and he would do that. But as long as he had a chance to somehow end this fight without anyone's death, he would go for that option.

"Dobby is not wanting any killing" Dobby told the death eater as he staggered up. "You is going away". From under the hood of the death eater, Dobby saw a pair of fanatical eyes looking at him mockingly. For a second, he pitied the wizards for not understanding the true power of elf magic. With a sigh, Dobby resigned himself to fate. Maybe he would have to hurt someone fatally tonight.

"Elf...say your last prayers" the death eater aimed at Dobby and sent the cruciatus on its way. Dobby was far too fast from him and popped right next to the death eater. Even as a shiver of fear ran through his body at being so close to a death eater, Dobby gave another snap of his fingers and the wizard was blasted off his feet. Just as the wizard was about to hit the roof, Dobby gave another snap and the wizard came rushing towards the floor. For a second their eyes met and Dobby saw the real person behind the mask. Just as the death eater was about to crash into the floor, Dobby stopped him in mid air and gave another snap of his fingers. The death eater, under the effect of the elf's latest spell, slumped to the ground in an unconscious state. As Dobby stared at the unconscious body of the death eater, he heard the two words he feared most...that of the killing curse.

**&&**

Mrs. Delacour was oblivious of the fight going on between Fleur, Dobby and their opponents. She knew that as long as Dobby was around Fleur, he would keep her out of harm's way. But right now she had to face three tough opponents.

In a blur, Mrs. Delacour had her two hands facing the two death eaters on either side of her. Each of the death eaters had an evil grin on their faces but it faded when they saw their target grinning at them. Mrs. Delacour knew that she could take two of them easily. It was only the guy in front of her who would cause the main problem. She had to remain prepared for anything.

"Afraid of us dear?" one of the death eaters asked. "If you co-operate with us then no one needs to get hurt". The other death eaters had their wands pointed at Mrs. Delacour.

"Are _you_ afraid of me?" Mrs. Delacour asked with a sinister smile on her face. "See, my hands are empty". With that, she turned her palms towards the death eaters on either side of her. The death eaters looked slightly apprehensive as she turned her palms to face them but were relieved to see no fireballs coming towards them.

"Damn it!" The death eater in the front shouted angrily. "She has you two targeted now". The other two death eaters took a moment to understand what their partner had meant. Giving a grunt, one of the death eaters started to mutter a spell but stopped mid-way. He had to get out of the way of a huge fireball coming his way.

Mrs. Delacour had thought that it was best if she took the reins of this fight in her own hands, literally. Keeping her palms pointed towards their targets, she started conjuring up fireballs. She didn't move her hands to propel the fireball towards its target; rather, as soon as a fireball was conjured, it seemed to get attracted towards its target on its own. This was very ancient veela magic which required mental propagation force rather than a physical one. Even as the death eaters on either side of her stepped aside to evade the first wave of attack, Mrs. Delacour adjusted her aim too. A series of whooshes filled the air as the fireballs kept coming out of her hands.

The death eater at the front knew that he had a clear target ahead of him. Aiming at Mrs. Delacour, he cast a dark spell. Mrs. Delacour was very nimble on her feet and evaded the spell easily. Even as she side stepped the spell, a battery of spells started to approach her from either side. Even though keeping her arms extended parallel to the ground was tough for longer periods of time, Mrs. Delacour knew she had to hold on. She moved backwards and many spells passed in front of her and crashed into the walls on either side.

Knowing that she would be in grave trouble if this went on for a long time, Mrs. Delacour started moving her hands in front of her. As she did it, huge fireballs reflecting her temper were shot forward. The death eaters had no option but to put up shields in front of them. Mrs. Delacour knew she had to continue this for a few more seconds before the shields cracked under the magical force of a veela's fireball. She kept moving her hands in front of her and again towards her side as huge fireballs either hit the shields or hit the furniture and other artifacts of the living room. As she kept on her onslaught, she heard a spell being muttered from somewhere behind her. Maybe she had heard it wrong but she prayed to god that no one would come in the line of that spell. Little did she know that the killing curse was headed towards her way.

**&&**

Dobby saw a jet of green light making its way towards Mrs. Delacour. Fleur seemed to be standing in a stunned state with a fireball in each hand, unable to do anything while Mr. Delacour looked equally shocked. Mrs. Delacour didn't even seem aware of the situation at hand and it took Dobby a split second to come to the conclusion that only he could do something. Wizard spells were fast but elf magic was faster. Dobby knew he didn't have the time to even snap his fingers. Well, he would have to cast a spell the old fashioned way - mentally. In another millionth of a second, Dobby cast the only elf-spell which came to his mind and saw its effect. Just as the green light seemed to have reached its target, Mrs. Delacour was pushed out of the way by an invisible force. The spell crashed into the woodwork near the place where Mr. Delacour was and caused splinters to go off in every direction. Even as everyone there got hit by the splinters, Dobby turned towards the death eater who had cast the spell.

"Dobby is _not_ liking the spell". There was something about the tone of the voice which seemed to make the death eater nervous. Even as Mrs. Delacour, who had been thrown off balance by Dobby's magic, got hit by a painful curse, Dobby gave a powerful snap of his fingers. The death eater who had cast the killing curse was thrown back with such a mighty force that everyone could hear the crushing of some of the bones in his body. But, just as the body collapsed to the ground in a heap, a whole lot of death eater's apparated right in the middle of the room, surrounding the Delacours and Dobby.

"_Bad Dobby is getting Harry Potter's friends in trouble_" Dobby thought as he looked at the twenty odd figures encircling them.

**&&**

Mr. Delacour had apparated next to his wife just like Fleur. Each had their backs to the other as they tried to cover as many death eaters as possible. The scene seemed hopeless but they wouldn't give up without a fight.

"What now?" Mrs. Delacour whispered to her husband who didn't reply. Instead, it was a death eater who spoke up.

"Do you wish to live or die?"

"Hmmm..." Mr. Delacour pretended to look thoughtful. "Live I guess"

"If you surrender now, our lord may show some mercy" the death eater said, ignoring the taunt in Mr. Delacour's voice.

"What if we don't surrender?" Mrs. Delacour's outstretched hands were covering as many death eaters as possible. She knew that she might have just one shot and she was ready to inflict the maximum damage with it.

"Then you will suffer the same fate as Potter" another death eater replied as if that was the easiest question to answer.

"You couldn't even touch Harry, could you?" Fleur asked scathingly. At this moment, another death eater walked in through the main door, or whatever was left of it.

"SILENCE" the man shouted. "There will be no negotiations here. If you are not willing to surrender, then all of you will perish..._now_"

"We will never surrender" Mrs. Delacour said in a unyielding voice and mentally prepared herself for what was to come. Fleur also had her arms outstretched like her mother. Mr. Delacour had two wands in his two hands, one of them coming from the death eater he had defeated. They had their backs to one another and were completely covering a 360 degree area but the number of opponents was far too great. With baited breath, they waited for the moment which was going to come.

**&&**

Dobby was watching the proceedings nervously. No one had given him particular importance and had kept their focus on the Delacours. As he saw the Delacours rejecting the option of surrendering, he knew that they didn't stand a chance. At most they could take out three death eaters each but that was not enough. No one stood a chance against so many opponents...at least, no one apart from a tiny elf whose extent of magical prowess was known to very few learned people.

Dobby knew he had to time his attack to a last-second precision if he was to surprise the death eaters. He knew he could hold on only for some precious seconds using his magic and he had to make best use of them. As he tensely watched the scenario, he noticed that the death eater, who had entered last, was moving backwards ever so slightly. Obviously, this guy would give the signal for the attack but he considered himself too highly to even cast a spell at half-breeds like veela's. Dobby knew that watching the other death eaters wouldn't help and he concentrated on their leader, or at least that's what it seemed to him.

Even as he kept watching the death eater backing away, Dobby kept reciting some ancient elvish spells mentally. Slowly but surely, Dobby felt himself getting both mentally and physically ready for the spell he was planning to perform. But before he could finish the spell, which was necessary to cast it at full strength, he saw the main death eater give a slight nod. A chill ran down his spine as he knew that the moment had come.

Mrs. Delacour, who had been facing the death eater, seemed to have noticed it too. Giving out a fierce battle shriek, she launched fireballs in all directions even before any death eater had a chance to cast a spell. Fleur and Mr. Delacour tried to follow suit but they knew they were too late. Even then they didn't give up. In the face of 15 - 20 spells racing towards them, Fleur and Mr. Delacour cast as many fireballs and spells as they could. They could only watch in horror as almost all dark spells, apart from the killing curse, came nearer and nearer.

"NO" came a shout from a small elf as he cast a spell which was not up to it's full strength yet.

**&&&&**

Mrs. Delacour could not speak for the next few moments. Too much had happened in the past few hours and she was an emotional wreck now. Even as she kept sobbing uncontrollably, a cold voice asked "And then?"

Harry's voice held no emotion. There was not even a trace of sadness in his eyes. Maybe the feeling had not sunk in yet...maybe he still did not believe that all this had happened. No one knew what he was feeling...no one other than Dobby.

Dobby always knew what '_Harry Potter is wanting_'. He had felt a strange bond grow between them from the time they had set their eyes upon each other. This mutual understanding had grown considerably in the past year up to the level that Dobby could almost face-read Harry's feelings. Right now, Dobby could feel the immense sadness which Harry was feeling. He wanted to take it all away. Fate did not have a right to play with a person's life even before he had been born. This was just not fair...not for Harry or anybody else for that matter. A single tear ran down the cheek of the elf as he tried to fathom the depths of Harry's sadness and pain.

"What happened next?" asked the emotionless voice again.

"Only I saw it clearly" Harry heard a quavering voice speak. Looking around, he saw an injured Fleur looking at him uncertainly.

"I want to hear it..." Harry said as his soulless eyes bore a hole in Fleur's mind. "...All of it"

**&&&&**

Fleur did not know what had happened but she had heard a shout. Rather, it was more like a shriek in which the person seemed to have put his every ounce of strength. It was then that she noticed it - a huge white glow speeding towards herself faster that the other spells. From the looks of it, the white glow was traveling _much_ faster than the other spells. Even as the spell reached her, she instinctively closed her eyes knowing that it was going to be the last thing she would feel. She could not have been more mistaken.

As soon as the glow of light hit them, all the Delacours felt a warm feeling filling their bodies. The white light seemed to have formed a spherical shield around them. Even as they looked around, they saw that the spells of the death eaters and their own spell and fireballs had all become stuck in mid-air, just on the boundary of the spherical shield. Every spell of the death eater seemed to be stuck about 2 feet from their bodies. Looking around in wonder, they saw a tiny thread of light stretching back to the origin - Dobby.

"LET GO ELF" the leader of the death eaters said though his voice wasn't as commanding as it had seemed a few minutes ago. The rest of the death eaters seemed puzzled to say the least. All their spells had stopped in mid air and it had caused their wands to be linked with the unknown sphere.

"DOBBY!" Fleur shrieked. "What are you doing?". Dobby seemed to be having considerable problem in keeping up the shield. The shield seemed to be decreasing in size as the death eaters concentrated harder to force their spells through. What was even more astounding was the fact that even the cruciatus had been stopped.

"LET GO ELF" the death eater shouted again. Fleur wondered for a moment as to why he just didn't curse Dobby? It really seemed to be the easiest thing to do than just asking him to "let go".

"Dobby is not...letting go" Dobby said through gritted teeth as he concentrated harder to counter the death eaters spells. The thread of light emitting from his joined hands seemed to have received a jolt as a pulse of light sped towards the sphere. No sooner had it reached its target that the death eater's spells were pushed backwards ever so slightly.

"Let - go - elf" the death eater said for what seemed to be his last warning. Dobby did not heed to the words and kept muttering under his breath. If he wanted to have any chance to win this fight then he had to finish the spell as soon as possible.

The Delacours didn't interfere with what was happening. Mrs. Delacour had tried to throw a fireball but it had just got stuck to the inside of the wall of light. One thing which everyone understood was that this wall of light was the divider between life and death for the Delacours. The more the death eaters tried to break it, the more resistance they met from Dobby. The Delacours were astounded to see such a powerful piece of magic coming from an elf. But then again, they didn't know too much about elf magic. Who knew what other tricks an elf had up his (or her) sleeves?

Dobby was perspiring heavily now. He had spread his feet to get a better grip. It seemed like he had taken on the whole burden of the world on his shoulders for a few seconds. The white glow coming out of his hands seemed to be growing with each passing second. A spherical ball of white light seemed to be forming in his hand and, from time to time, Dobby would use a part of this force to strengthen the shield. Even as Dobby was nearing the end of his spell, he that the main death eater was raising his wand. From the looks of it, the death eater seemed quite confident of breaking the barrier without caring for the consequences. That could mean only one thing - the killing curse was coming.

Dobby recited the last few verses of the spell rapidly. He didn't bother strengthening the shield anymore and watched it collapse bit by bit on it's occupants. He just _had_ to finish his spell.

"It's over elf" the death eater sneered at Dobby. "_Ava..._". Before he could finish the spell, he felt a huge surge of power in the room and his concentration broke. Looking around, he saw a happily smiling Dobby looking at him.

"Dobby is winning" Dobby said with a toothy grin. The man lowered his wand and backed away. In the meantime, a couple of death eaters had managed to break off their spells and were looking in astonishment at the huge spherical ball of white light in Dobby's hands. A tiny thread of light connected the sphere in Dobby's hands to the shield around the Delacours. One of the death eaters decided that enough was enough. Getting defeated by an elf was the worst thing which could happen to a wizard or witch. For all he knew, the sphere, or for that matter any other thing, couldn't stop the killing curse. Without stopping to wonder as to why his leader had not cast the killing curse himself, he raised his wand and aimed directly at Fleur. Without wasting any more time, he started to mutter the spell for the killing curse.

"NO" a shout came from Dobby. "DOBBY IS NOT LETTING YOU WIN. DOBBY IS KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO HARRY POTTER". There was a maniacal look in Dobby's eyes as he knew what was going to come. The ball of light seemed to shimmer brightly as Dobby got excited. Within a millionth of a second, Dobby's excitement was gone as he felt a strange calmness within him. With a final look at the Delacours, he separated his hands.

**&&**

Fleur saw the whole scene in a kind of slow motion. She saw the leader disapparate from the manor as soon as he saw one of the death eaters raising his wand. She heard Dobby giving a scream though she couldn't decipher all the words he said. She saw the death eater mutter "_Avada Kedav..._" but he wasn't able to finish the spell because of what Dobby did.

Fleur had seen Dobby separate his hands. As the hands got separated, the spherical ball of light in his hands seemed to glow even brightly and was suspended in mid air. Just when it seemed like the light would blind everyone in the room, she saw Dobby give a magical push to the sphere. What had happened next was something extraordinary, yet terrible.

A huge surge of magical energy filled up the manor as the spherical ball seemed to explode into infinite strands of light. Anything and everything that came into its path was wrecked apart. The chairs and couches were shredded to tiny pieces along with every other piece of furniture. As the strands of light hit the floor, it seemed to rip it apart. Cracks were created throughout the length and breadth of the whole floor. The aura of these strands kept on growing as they neared the death eaters. The first few death eaters were decimated to tiny pieces as the light hit them. No one could have thought that such devastation could be done by an elf but it was happening right in front of them. Pools of blood started to form as the death eaters were torn apart literally. A few death eaters had managed to portkey away but the remaining could only stare at the imminent doom headed their way.

The light didn't show any signs of dieing out. Instead, it spread throughout the entire manor. Each and every wall it hit was affected. Cracks seemed to appear in the walls of the manor which seemed incapable of handling such a huge magical force. A couple of death eaters, who had apparated on the third floor of the manor, died as soon as a strand of light passed straight through their bodies. Not only the building, but the lawn outside it was also devastated. It seemed that the light rays were trying to search out each and every corner of the manor area in search of death eaters. The trees in the garden got uprooted and the grass got burned to ashes. The devastation caused was unimaginable.

Finally, as the spell seemed to die out, Fleur noticed that they were untouched by all that had happened there. As she looked around, she saw the white spherical shield still protecting them. Slowly but surely it seemed to fizz out. Instinctively, Fleur looked at the spot where Dobby had been. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the limp body of the elf lying on the floor, fingers wiggling from time to time.

**&&&&**

"And then we brought him here" Fleur ended her narration of that evening's happenings at the Delacour Manor. "When we came here, we saw that Gabrielle and Zesauas were unhurt but unconscious. I think Dobby setup some kind of a shield for them too but it was not that powerful" Fleur added and broke down sobbing.

"Dobby" Harry whispered as he lightly grabbed the right hand of his friend. "I will just cast some healing spells and..."

"No healing...urg...spells work on Dobby" Dobby said with great difficulty. He had not been able to move an inch where he had been laid down. Any kind of movement caused immense pain. Talking was also a problem.

There was something in Dobby's voice which convinced Harry that Dobby was saying the truth. His whole body was filled with cuts in every direction possible and blood was oozing out of them. It looked like someone had whip lashed Dobby infinite times.

"Fleur..." Harry said in the same emotionless voice. "...Tonks and Remus are lying in the corner of the garden in an unconscious state". With that, he told Fleur the exact spot where his friends were and asked her to bring them here. Within a minute, Fleur was back with them to find Harry talking intently to Dobby.

"Why Dobby?" Harry asked in a sad voice.

"Harry Potter is giving Dobby very important job" Dobby replied in spite of the pain. "Dobby is doing the work because he had no work for a long time". At this moment, a series of whooshing noises could be heard from down below.

"Don't worry, I think the aurors have arrived" Harry said to the Delacours who were looking very frightened. They wondered as to how Harry could have known that the arrivals were not death eaters but they didn't ask anything. Just like Harry had said, it was indeed the French aurors who had arrived.

"Couldn't this have been done differently?" Harry was now gently rubbing the hands of the elf. He didn't care about the door being opened and the arrival of the new people on the scene. Neither was he interested in what anyone, other than Dobby, was saying to him right now.

"No" Dobby replied. "Dobby is doing the correct thing". Harry and Dobby kept looking at each other for a long time. Harry noticed that Dobby's breathing was getting faster and faster as more time went by. The weather outside reflected how Harry felt. It had turned dark and was raining very hard.

"Can I question that person over there? Who is he and what is he doing here?" Harry heard one of the aurors asking the Delacours.

"That person over there has a name" Fleur replied vehemently. "He is my friend and his name is Harry Potter"

"Harry Potter!" the auror seemed thunderstruck. "_The_ Harry Potter?". On seeing Fleur nod, the auror bent slightly to have a better look at Harry.

"Leave him alone" Mr. Delacour said in a stubborn voice. "His friend is dying"

"Friend? I see only an elf" the auror looked uncertain.

"You have any problems with my friend being an elf, auror?" Harry had turned around to face the auror in question. Everyone in the room had stopped moving when they heard _Harry Potter_ speaking and were intently looking at him. As they kept gazing, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and lit up part of Harry's face giving him a very eerie look.

"N...No, Mr. Potter" the auror stuttered slightly.

"Good" Harry replied. "Please leave me alone". Everyone nodded and started to leave the room. None of the aurors had the courage to even say 'no' to a living legend. "By the way..." Harry's words stopped everyone in their tracks. "...can someone enervate these two people?" Harry pointed towards Tonks and Remus.

"We'll try" Mrs. Delacour said and stepped forward.

Harry didn't reply and turned back to Dobby. Dobby's situation seemed to be detoriating every second.

"Dobby is wanting to see...to see...Harry Potter's werewolf and Tonkie" Dobby's voice could be barely heard. Harry gave a nod and said "They are unconscious. Mrs. Delacour is trying to revive them"

"Did Dobby...hurt them?" Dobby's eyes were wide in fear.

"No Dobby" Harry said in a soothing voice. "You can _never_ harm anyone". Dobby smiled weakly at this and it pained Harry to an inexpressible extent. The Dobby in front of him was struggling to keep his eyes open. Even his smile had lost its charm. Blood kept oozing out of his body and, no matter how many spells Harry tried, they just refused to stop. After each failed attempt, Dobby would just give a weak smile at Harry.

"Even the great Harry Potter can't heal Dobby this time" Dobby said finally. Harry gave up his attempts to heal Dobby and just held his Dobby's hands.

"Don't leave me Dobby" Harry's voice choked as he said this.

"Dobby is finishing his job" Dobby replied.

"Dobby...please..." Harry's soulless eyes finally had some moistness in them. "...don't..."

"Dobby is...is...never leaving..." Dobby's voice quavered uncontrollably as he said this.

"Dobby!" Harry heard two shocked voices from behind him. At last, Tonks and Remus had woken up.

"Tonkie...werewolf..." Dobby's words started to come in small gasps. "Dobby...is...saying...goodbye"

"Goodbye?" Tonks exclaimed. "OH MY GOD" Tonks said as her eyes scanned Dobby's body. "Oh...my..." Tonks staggered slightly and grabbed Remus for support. "Remus...look..."

"Dobby..." Remus said in a sad voice. "You performed the _Charm of Life_?". Dobby gave a slight nod even as his body gave an involuntary shudder. Remus looked as if he was on the verge of tears. Only one spell could cause such devastation to a person's (or elf's) body and the end result was _always_ fatal. Tonks, who also knew about the spell, started to cry uncontrollably.

"He's lying Remus...he's..." Tonks sniffed as she tried to control herself. "He's trying to...fool me. He always makes a fool of me". Remus gave Tonks a tight squeeze. He was willing to believe Tonks that this was one big joke but he knew that it wasn't the case. This was life during a war.

"Dobby...huh...going..."

"Don't leave me Dobby" Harry pleaded with Dobby. In spite of the tremendous pain he was in, Dobby gave Harry's hands a tight squeeze. Harry felt a sharp pain on his left hand but it was nothing compared to what he was really feeling.

"Harry Potter...Dobby...always...friends" Dobby's hands went limp as he said this. Dobby was no more.

**&&&&**

Sitting in the common room of the Gryffindor tower, Harry kept gazing at the fire which was blazing away. Tonks, Remus and Fleur were sitting on either side of him in complete silence. This had been the way they had spent time for the past two days.

The two occupants of the Gryffindor tower had been moved to the Ravenclaw tower on the night of Christmas. Dumbledore and Snape had escorted back the Delacours and had temporarily arranged for them to stay in the Gryffindor tower. Alternative arrangements were being made for them before the holidays ended and soon they would be moving out. Living at Hogwarts was an altogether different experience for them but it was nothing compared to the way Harry had reacted to Dobby's death.

Remus had a harrowing time coming to grips with the reality of Dobby's death. Tonks had fared worse. It was the circumstances of his death, along with all the events of December 25'th, that made the day one of the worst in their lives. They now knew that their every move was watched. Even if it wasn't being watched, still they had a sense of paranoia about it. Everywhere they went, they had a feeling that someone was watching them. The concurrent attacks on the day of Christmas had left them scarred to say the least.

But it was Harry's reaction to Dobby's death which was the main concern for both Tonks and Remus now. Ever since the burial of Dobby, Harry had gone into a shell. In the past 36 hours, he had not slept for a single minute and had neither food nor drink. All he did was sit in the common room and stare at the fire. No one had been able to communicate with him. His eyes looked dreamy, as if he was wondering about something. He would walk through the corridors of Hogwarts without speaking to anyone present. Dumbledore had told everyone present to leave Harry alone without giving any exact reason. This had further fuelled rumors of Harry having fought You-Know-Who in France. Harry couldn't care less.

Today also, Harry had taken up his usual seat (for the past 36 hours) by the fire and was staring intently into it. Tonks had tried to get him to eat but he hadn't event looked at her. Remus had failed too. Without seeing any other way, they had asked Mrs. Delacour to use her veela charm to get Harry out of the mindset he was in. She had failed too. As they sat around the fire, Tonks glanced at Remus ever so slightly. Remus's eyes met her's and he gave an audible sigh. He was helpless.

"Why couldn't you portkey away?"

Tonks and Remus stood up in a flash as they heard the first words come out from Harry's mouth after Dobby's death. Fleur, who was sitting nearby, looked relieved too.

"Harry..." Tonks said. "You need to eat something"

"Yes Harry, please have a meal" Remus concurred with Tonks.

"Why couldn't you portkey away?" Harry asked again showing no signs that he had heard either Tonks or Remus.

"Portkey?" Tonks asked. "We didn't have a chance"

"I think he is asking me" Fleur said. Tonks nodded in understanding.

Fleur then went on to explain as to why they had been unable to portkey away from the manor. Much to the surprise and alarm of Tonks and Remus, Fleur informed them that Zesauas had worked for death eaters when he was a reckless teenager. When he had proved himself sufficiently, he was asked to join the ranks of the death eaters. But he had seen the wrong in his ways by then. He had caused too much suffering and pain and, in that process, he had suffered a lot mentally. When one of the death eaters had come to escort him for the recruitment, he had refused to accompany him.

This was not something that the death eaters were used to. Refusal to join their ranks meant termination. A group of death eaters had been assigned the duty to kill him but their leader had changed his decision at the last moment. With permission from Voldemort himself, he had decided that they would make an example of Zesauas. One evening, five death eaters had cornered him and tortured him for so long that he had become crippled for life.

The French ministry had not taken too well to all the developments related to Zesauas. In fact, they still believed that this crippled man was in league with the death eaters. Since they had no evidence for his conviction and also because of the prestige which the Delacour name carried in France, they had been unable to prosecute him. Instead they had placed him under a magical house arrest. Zesauas couldn't leave the house without the permission of the French government. Since they couldn't leave behind Zesauas, hence the Delacours couldn't portkey away. This time around, after the attack, Dumbledore had managed to convince the French government to let him come to England. No one had dared to question Dumbledore.

**&&&&**

December 28'th and 29'th passed by in the same gloom which had cast it's shadow on the current occupants of the Gryffindor tower. Tonks had tried a few times to get Harry to eat but had failed miserably. She also knew that Harry needed time but she couldn't bear the way Harry was treating himself. Harry had not even slept since Christmas. It was almost as if he was a zombie.

Tonks knew that Harry had somehow buried all the pain in his heart and it was eating him slowly. He had not shed a single tear even when Dobby was dying. Had he cried even once during or after Dobby's death, he would be back to normal or as close to normal as one can be after someone close had passed away. Even Dumbledore was starting to panic on seeing Harry's new demeanor. There were dark circles around his eyes and he seemed to have lost some weight too. Yet, he was always on alert. More than once, Remus had avoided getting hit by a painful curse when he had entered the common room without making a sound. Maybe Harry was being too paranoid about people entering soundlessly...maybe he thought that death eaters could be just about everywhere...maybe this...maybe that. All these guesses were just...guesses. No one knew what was going on in his mind.

"What has happened to him?" Tonks asked to Remus in a helpless tone. Fleur was seated in a nearby chair. "I mean...just look at him"

"I know" Remus sighed. "We have to make him do something. If he keeps brooding like this forever, then it could have grave consequences"

"Can't Madam Pomfrey do something?" Fleur asked.

"The human mind is a very complex thing" Remus explained. "Even if Dumbledore tries to do anything now, the outcome _could_ be disastrous". Tonks's head dropped at this. "Also, Harry has to fight this himself. We can't fight a war with his mind"

"Remus..." Tonks was about to protest when Remus raised his hand to stop her.

"If you want to take a chance with Harry's mind, then I say you go to Dumbledore and talk to him. I am going to do nothing about this" Remus stated. "I don't want to be held responsible for making Harry insane"

"So we do nothing, right?" Fleur asked vehemently.

"I didn't say _that_" Remus replied. "We have to get Harry to interact with us and we have to try until he does so"

"He will interact with us..." Fleur said in understanding. "...I will do _everything_ in my power to do so". A red-haired metamorphmagus raised an eyebrow at the tone with which this statement was made.

**&&&&**

Mr. and Mrs. Delacour went out to see a prospective house on December 30'th along with Gabrielle. The trauma of the Christmas events was finally wearing out though it had left behind many scars, literally. Remus had also left on a quick Order mission which had to be completed before the New Year. Added to the fact that it was full moon on January 2'nd, Remus wanted to finish all the work at hand as soon as possible.

"Found him?" Tonks asked Fleur as she entered the Gryffindor common room.

"Yeah" Fluer replied. "He is still in a deserted classroom on the second floor. I talked to him for over an hour but I don't know if he heard me or not"

"I am just not sure as to where this is leading" Tonks replied in a downtrodden voice as Fleur sat down opposite to her.

"I just hope that one of us could get through to him" Fleur replied. "I mean...he hasn't slept for five days now. He has not eaten anything. How can someone survive like this? Only if one of us could get him out of this depressed state of mind..."

"Maybe you would like that one to be you" Tonks said disdainfully without even looking at Fleur. Fleur, on the other hand, looked curiously at Tonks.

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"I mean...here is this veela helping out the Boy-Who-Lived" Tonks voice was very sarcastic to say the least. "She has pity on him after hearing everything that he has gone through..."

"ENOUGH!" Fleur had shot up from her seat. "I DO NOT PITY HARRY. HE IS HARRY AND NOT THE BOY-WHO-LIVED". Somehow, Fleur couldn't believe what she was hearing. All these statements had come so suddenly from Tonks that her head was almost spinning. What had she done to make Tonks angry?

"Oh c'mon" Tonks threw up her hands in the air. "I have watched you for far too long now. You are always there for Harry even when he doesn't need you. Ever since you cast that charm on him..."

"Look lady" Fleur was speaking in a hissing voice and feathers had started to sprout on her body. "I have never cast any charm on Harry. And hello...Harry isn't affected by the veela charm, remember? If you say one more thing about me..."

"And the way Harry is always drooling over you...ha!" Tonks looked disdainfully at Fleur. "He looks almost as if he wanted to devour..."

"SHUT UP!" Fleur was almost fully transformed now but Tonks seemed unfazed. Sitting a few feet away from an angry veela required a lot of mental strength. "Harry _never_ drools on me" Fleur turned her bird head to look directly into Tonks's eyes. The blue eyes were now blazing in anger. "And never ever insult Harry like that. If you do..." Fleur didn't finish the sentence but let her action do the talking. She had conjured up a fireball in her hand and seemed poised to throw it at Tonks.

Tonks, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "Sorry...I am sorry" she put up her hands in surrender. "Please sit down"

Slowly turning back to the beautiful and elegant girl that she was, Fleur sat down again with a surprised look on her face. She had no idea about what Tonks was up to. Finally, Tonks, back to her normal self, began speaking again.

"You like him, don't you?" Tonks asked her bluntly. Looking at the shocked expression on Fleur's face, Tonks continued "You keep searching for him...keep on talking with him till late in the night...you keep following him so that he doesn't get into trouble...you feel safe with him and want to keep him safe. You do like him, don't you?"

Fleur looked uncertainly at Tonks for a moment. The confident veela expression which was always on her face had vanished by now and she looked just like any other teenaged witch.

"Isn't it easy to like him?" Fleur asked after a while.

"I guess so" Tonks replied in a strange sort of voice.

"Do you like...I mean...you know..." Fleur stuttered slightly and lowered her gaze. She seemed very different from what Tonks had heard about veela's. The only argument which came to Tonks's mind was that Fleur was a quarter veela after all.

"Do I like Harry?" Tonks helped out the girl in front of her. "Yeah...I do". Fleur's head snapped up at this. "You know, we have been living together for quite a while now..." Fleur's eye's slightly widened at this as Tonks continued merrily with a wink "...in separate rooms". Fleur relaxed slightly at this. "So...yeah...I do like him"

"I see" Fleur looked slightly stunned by this new revelation. "Like a woman likes a man?".

Fleur's eyes were fixed on her hands otherwise she would have seen a struggle of emotions crossing the face of Tonks. Tonks eyes lost their usual glint as she lowered her own gaze.

"No" replied Tonks. She gulped hard and blinked back the moistness which was building up in her eyes before saying "Like one friend likes another one"

**&&&&**

Ron was on his way down when he thought he had heard something. Hearing something in The Burrow was not abnormal as someone or the other always kept making sounds or kept arguing; but hearing a sound as if someone was weeping, that too on New Year's Eve, was very unusual. As Ron tried to trace the source, his senses directed him upstairs towards his parent's room.

"It can't be true Arthur" Ron heard his mother's croaked voice. "You must be mistaken"

"No dear" Arthur Weasley's voice seemed very grave. "I am afraid it is true. We have checked it ourselves"

"No Arthur…it can't be true" Mrs. Weasley was in tears now. "Please don't say these kinds of things today. Please don't say anything like that ever"

"Molly…get a hold on yourself" Mr. Weasley told his wife. "I can't help it. It's true"

"No Arthur, it can't be…true. I am his mother…and…and I can feel it. He can't…" Mrs. Weasley was having difficulties in completing her sentences. "He won't…he would never…"

"Molly…"

"No…I don't believe you" Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded very unlike her own. "This must be some kind of joke you have come up with. Maybe Fred and George are part of it too. Let me just call them"

"Molly…Molly…" Ron heard sounds which seemed to indicate that his father had grabbed his mother and was somehow trying to break her trance. "Molly…" Mr. Weasley said after a long pause. His voice seemed tired - tired of all the things which were happening around him.

"Molly…we have a family to run. We can't…" Ron heard his father's voice trail off.

"Arthur…" Mrs. Weasley was wailing as if someone had died. "Arthur…I had carried him in my womb for 9 months…I have breast-fed him…I know him…" Mrs. Weasley seemed to be breaking down more and more as she continued. "I know him better than any of you"

All this didn't make much sense to Ron…not until he heard the remainder of the conversation.

"No Arthur…Percy cannot be a death eater". Molly Weasley had started weeping again as Ron staggered back to his room. This had to be some bad dream.

**&&&&**

"C'mon Harry" Tonks tugged at Harry's sleeves as Remus, Fleur and her family looked on. "We have a feast tonight"

Harry just looked at Tonks for a second before going back to his favorite hobby for the past few days - gazing at the fireplace.

"Mr. and Mrs. Delacour, please come with me" Remus said as he got up from his seat. "We have to get you to the great hall in 2 minutes time"

"Yes mom" Fleur agreed. "You people should join the headmaster on time. Gabrielle and Zesauas, you two go with mom and dad. I will join you in a few minutes"

"Will Harry come?" Gabrielle asked in a tentative voice. She had seen the change which had taken place in Harry ever since the death of Dobby and she could understand his feelings. In the few hours she had spent with Dobby, she had developed a fondness for the little elf.

"Yes dear" Mrs. Delacour said reassuringly. Even though Gabrielle didn't believe her, she followed her parents and brother to the great hall for the New Year's feast.

"What should we do now?" Fleur asked Tonks.

"I don't know" Tonks gave a shrug of her shoulders before renewing her efforts to convince Harry to come with them. After 5 minutes or so, Harry seemed to have had enough and proceeded towards his dormitory room.

"Now what?" Fleur seemed even more upset. "Has he already gone to bed?"

"Damn it" Tonks stomped her foot. "Why does he have to do this to us? We are all mourning Dobby but...just..." she seemed to be lost for words as she started pacing around trying to think about a strategy. With the passing of every minute, Tonks grew more and more impatient. Finally, her patience seemed to have run out.

"HARRY POTTER" Tonks shouted at the top of her lungs. Fleur, not used to Tonks's temperamental ways, seemed to be taken aback at this. "GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW". Just as she finished her statement, she got the shock of her life as she saw that Harry had indeed appeared at the top of the stairs.

"There you are..." Tonks continued. "...finally having the sense to listen...hey!". Tonks couldn't finish her statement as Harry ran past her in full speed. Even as Harry passed her, she heard Harry say something which sent a chill through her blood.

"Don't worry Ginny, I will save you"

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Here's the 22nd chapter. The third consecutive cliffhanger ending. Man...do you people love me or what? ;)

**WronskiFeint** – I use spell names because I try to give a blow by blow account. Using spell names helps me (at least, that's what I think). But I will try to implement your suggestion.

**To all those people who have reviewed** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	23. New Year Eve Surprises

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 23 - New Year Eve Surprises**

"There you are..." Tonks continued. "...finally having the sense to listen...hey!". Tonks couldn't finish her statement as Harry ran past her in full speed. Even as Harry passed her, she heard Harry say something which sent a chill through her blood.

"Don't worry Ginny, I will save you"

**&&&&**

"Let me go!" Ginny gave another tug at the hand that was fiercely holding her. "LET ME GO" she shouted again. The death eater just put a hand-locking curse on her and turned her around. Ginny felt the tip of the death eater's wand in the small of her back.

"Nothing will be gained by shouting my dear" the person in the hood replied as he pushed Ginny down a corridor of Hogwarts. "There is a silencing charm around us" a chuckling sound came as he said this.

"Everyone is going to find you" Ginny said as she tried to break the spell in the old fashioned muggle way. "You wo..."

"No one will ever find out what happened here tonight" the man snapped back in a hissing voice.

"Oh yeah...they will" Ginny had a look of confidence on her face. "Dumbledore...Harry...everyone will be here soon"

"No one will be here" the man repeated, albeit in a calmer voice. "No one even knows we are here"

"Dumbledore should know that _I_ am here" Ginny looked pleased even though her hands were hurting.

"No one knows. And even if anyone knew you were here, what difference would it make?" the man questioned in a careless voice. Now that Ginny thought about it, it really seemed that she was in a messed up situation. What could Dumbledore do if he didn't know that a death eater was inside the castle? What could Harry do who had no idea that _she_ herself was at Hogwarts? After all, she had had been kidnapped from The Burrow a few hours ago and she could only pray that Dumbledore had some method of tracking students inside Hogwarts.

"What happened girl?" the death eater asked in an amused voice. "Not feeling so confident now, are you?". On getting no answer from Ginny, he knew that she felt quite helpless at the moment.

"If I had my wand now..." Ginny fumed as the death eater gave her another rough push. The death eater just smiled and felt for Ginny's wand in his cloaks pocket. It was still there and he knew that Ginny was helpless without it.

"Now now dear...let us stop talking and find out what we have come for" the death eater seemed to be in a merry mood but his voice was slightly shaky.

"WE?" Ginny shouted. "It's only you, understand? Why the hell did you kidnap me?"

"Because the dark lord thinks you could be useful" came the reply.

"Useful?" Ginny's voice showed that she was puzzled at this explanation. As she tried to find an explanation, the expression of puzzlement gave way to another one...that of fear. What if she was just a tool to lure out Harry?

"Hmmm...which way now?" the death eater muttered to himself thoughtfully as he came to a cross section of four corridors. Looking at a piece of parchment in his hand, he took the right one. Ginny had no other option but to keep on walking in front of the hooded figure. There was no way she could turn around and fight the guy without a wand.

"What are you looking for?" Ginny thought it was best if she could get some information out of this person.

"Something which needs to be destroyed" the death eater replied gleefully. He had been selected for one of the most dangerous missions of recent times and he was surely going to make an impression this time.

"What needs to be destroyed?" Ginny asked again, her voice filled with curiosity. "You are not going to burn down the castle, are you?"

"The castle doesn't matter without it" came the curt reply.

"Without what?" came the instant question.

"The Power of Hogwarts"

**&&&& **

After coming to Hogwarts, Harry had taken time out and had visited Sarah's father in October. He had the wizard radar modified so that it didn't detect Professor Snape's dark mark. For a whole month, he had almost developed a 'heart-ache' due to the constant vibration of the radar when Snape was near. He had never known how lucky that would prove for him later on. Tonight was the day he was most pleased with the change.

"How could someone get in again?" Harry thought to himself as he ran out of the portrait hole and vanished round the first corner. The wizard radar had suddenly started to vibrate and he knew that there was someone in the castle other than Snape who had the dark mark. He had taken out his radar and had seen a death eater in the wing of the castle which led to the Slytherin tower. But what shocked him the most was the other name showing just beside the death eater...that of Ginny.

"I can't lose another person in my life" Harry muttered to himself as he reached the staircases. Making a quick calculation as to which staircase will lead to the shortest way to his target, he took the one on the extreme left. But as luck would have it, the staircases started moving when Harry was midway through.

"Damn it" Harry said through gritted teeth as he held on to the railings for balance. As the staircases came to a stop, Harry realized that his luck had not been too bad after all. He just had to cover two extra corridors to reach the corridor leading up to where Ginny was.

Harry sprinted forward at full speed and checked the radar once again. He saw that Ginny and the death eater had turned another corner and were heading towards a place which led to the back of the dungeons. Wondering as to why they were headed towards that place, Harry turned around another corner. His hopes were rising every minute since he knew that another couple of turns and he would catch up with the death eater.

"_Hold on Ginny...I am coming for you_" were the thoughts which were doing the rounds in Harry's mind.

**&&&&**

"What was all that about?" Tonks asked in a slightly dazed voice as soon as Harry had disappeared out of the portrait hole. Shaking her head as if to clear it, she started to make her way towards the portrait hole herself when Fleur stopped her.

"What happened?" Fleur asked anxiously. She had not heard what Harry had muttered but the look on Tonks face indicated that something was afoot...something bad. Tonks looked at Fleur for a moment before explaining to her what she had heard.

"But how did Harry know what is happening?" Fleur asked. "He was in his room"

"Harry can know a lot of things" Tonks replied. Seeing the look of disbelief on her face, Tonks just laid a hand on Fleur's shoulders and said "Trust me". Fleur gave an acknowledging nod in return. After all, Harry Potter was known to be the guy with surprises at Hogwarts.

Even as Tonks tried to leave, Fleur caught her by her arm. "Where are you going?" Fleur asked.

"Isn't that obvious?" Tonks raised an eyebrow at Fleur's seemingly stupid question. "I am going after Harry"

"But shouldn't we inform Dumbledore about this?" Fleur's nerves seemed to be on their edge. Tonks was used to situations which required split second actions but that were not Fleur's cup of tea.

"I can't go to inform Dumbledore now. Who knows what may happen in that much time!" Tonks threw up her hands in exasperation. "See...either we can both search for Harry or you can go and inform Dumbledore". Looking at the indecision on Fleur's face, Tonks continued "If you want to inform Dumbledore then please do so IMMEDIATELY". Fleur was taken aback at Tonks's shouting. Only Tonks knew what kind of mental anxiety she was having.

"We cannot lose another moment" Tonks shouted back over her shoulder as she made her way out of the common room. "Ginny and Harry are both in danger. Get moving now". With a final look over her shoulder, Tonks was gone.

Fleur stood still for what seemed like hours. The information she had just received from Tonks was mind boggling for her. Her family, along with Harry and his friends, had already been to hell and back just a few days back and something like this happens now. It seemed like some kind of a curse had befallen them. But then again, Harry's life had been a cursed one even before he was born. With a sigh and a surge of nervous energy, Fleur ran out of the Gryffindor common room. She was still having problems deciding whether to go to Dumbledore first or not but the words of Tonks kept ringing in her head. What if that extra second was the second she would regret all her life? Finally, she decided to search for Harry herself and proceeded in a direction opposite to which Tonks had taken. Hopefully, one of them would find Harry and Ginny before anything disastrous happened.

**&&&&**

"Let go of me you...you..." Ginny was in a desperate situation but that didn't prevent her from threatening the death eater. After all, he couldn't harm her since his 'dark lord' had mentioned that she might be useful.

"Shut up" the death eater seemed irritated at this continuous flow of statements coming from his captive. "And if you think that I can't harm you, then think again". The death eater seemed to have read Ginny's very thoughts which caused her to tense a bit. "You are useful...either the way you are now or in a handicapped manner"

"You..." Ginny fumed but knew she could do nothing. "You are going to be in deep trouble". At this, the death eater gave a laugh. Here he was, with a captive student, who was saying that he was going to be in deep trouble.

"Think it is funny, eh?" Ginny questioned as they kept on moving. "First, Dumbledore and Harry will come here and teach you a lesson"

"No one's coming to save you girl" the death eater butted in.

"Then..." Ginny continued as if she had heard nothing. "...you will go back to your master and plead for his forgiveness at being unable to finish your mission"

"Shut up girl" the death eater hissed angrily. He never ever wanted to think of what might happen if he failed in this mission. It was _the_ most critical mission in recent times and he had to succeed.

"You don't seem too confident now, do you?" Ginny seemed to be testing the waters as to how far this death eater's temperament could be stretched. It wouldn't be a happy moment if she got hit by a powerful cruciatus but then again, in trying to hurt her, the death eater could just somehow allow her a chance to get away.

"Don't be too sure of yourself" the death eater replied as they turned another corner. He wasn't used to chatting with his prisoners but there seemed to be something about this girl that was getting onto his nerves.

"Why did you take me captive anyway?" Ginny asked. "Is it something to do with Harry?"

No answer.

"It's something about Harry, isn't it?" Ginny's breathing had quickened by now. "Why don't you people leave him in peace?"

"That's what we want to do" the death eater replied. "Leave him in peace...forever"

"You filth" Ginny spat at the man. "You people move around in packs and yet can't capture him. What makes you think that just holding me here will help you? He will easily rescue me and give you what you deserve"

"Your prince charming, is he?" came the question in a mocking tone. "Damn it..." the death eater again started to mutter to himself. "...this girl got my directions messed up". With that, he started fidgeting with the piece of paper in his hand.

"Oh Harry!" Ginny shouted in a relieved voice. The death eater seemed startled for a moment and checked around him. Seeing no one in front of him, he turned his head to check if anyone was behind him or not. The death eater was relieved to see that no one was behind him either but his relief did not last long.

The moment the death eater had turned his head was the moment Ginny was waiting for. She turned around almost soundlessly and kicked the death eater in his groin with full force. Even the greatest of wizards couldn't stop the pain caused due to hitting below the belt and this was just a mere death eater. As the death eater doubled up in pain, Ginny launched a full blooded kick at the death eater's face but she was surprised to see the death eater roll away. Thankfully for Ginny, her wand had clattered down on the floor when the death eater was trying to avoid her kick and she lunged forward for it. Since her hands were locked together by the death eaters spell, she grabbed her wand with both her hands and, after a couple of seconds of fumbling, managed to get a good grip on it. But those couple of seconds proved too long for her. As she turned towards the death eater to cast a spell, she found herself staring at a wand at point blank range.

"Give me your wand" the words came in small gasps. Obviously, the death eater seemed to be in extreme pain but he knew that worse awaited him if he couldn't manage the situation at hand now.

"Do your worst" Ginny said defiantly but did not raise her wand. After all, no one could predict what spell could be coming her way. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"Don't push me girl" the death eater hissed again. "I can do things to you which you can never even imagine in your wildest dreams"

"Not if I have something to do about it" a voice spoke from behind the death eater as a wand tip came in contact with his back. The death eater gulped as he recognized the voice.

Now if you will hand me your wand, then I won't hurt you". Though Harry was calm outside, his insides were in turmoil. "At least not yet...Wormtail"

**&&&&**

"Where could he have gone?" Tonks thought as she ran down one of the seemingly infinite corridors of Hogwarts. She heard quite a few whispers as she made her way towards a turning. Stopping and looking around, she saw no one nearby. Yet, she was sure that she had heard people whispering. Then it stuck her. The portraits of course.

"Hello there" Tonks said as she approached a portrait of an elderly wizard. The wizard, who had been grunting in displeasure due to the sound created by Tonks running, had a good look at the metamorphmagus.

"What do you want, my fair lady?" the wizard in the portrait asked. If Tonks was not mistaken then his voice had a slightly mischievous tint to it.

"I am looking for a friend of mine" Tonks replied. "Harry Potter"

"Harry Potter?" the wizard asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes" Tonks replied hastily. "Could you please tell me where he is in the castle now?"

"I am not an elf" the wizard scowled.

"No...of course not" Tonks knew that she had to come up with something if she wanted to get some information out of this guy. "But you are a gentleman who would help a lady in distress" Tonks said in her sweetest voice. "Am I wrong?"

"Hold on..." the wizard said with a grin. "I will be right back". With that, Tonks saw the wizard move out of his picture and into those of the others. She stood there biting her nails in tension when, after about 15 to 20 seconds, the wizard returned.

"You found him?" Tonks asked with anticipation.

"Maybe" the wizard replied carelessly.

Putting on her sweet act once again, Tonks asked "Could you _please_ tell me where he is?". The wizard seemed to like the word 'please' in Tonks question. After all, not many people had given him too much respect since his portrait had been created. Taking another close look at Tonks, the wizard went on to describe what he had seen.

"The last portrait which your friend passed is on the floor down below and he was heading towards the back of the dungeons"

"That means you didn't look for him beyond that?" Tonks was surprised, angry and nervous at the same time.

"No" the wizard replied. "There are no portraits after that" he explained.

Tonks nodded in understanding and thanked the wizard for his help. She even gave him small peck on his left cheek which greatly pleased the wizard. It had been a long time since anyone had been so generous to him and he watched the running figure of Tonks disappear down the corridor with misty eyes.

Tonks ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Even though she was worried about Harry, she wondered what could be the reason that there were no portraits near the back of the dungeons. Logic said that it must have been kept that way so that someone could have some privacy from prying eyes. But why? Why would someone be...hold on, Tonks thought and slapped herself on her forehead. Maybe that's where the Power is.

This quickened her pulse rate greatly. If something happened to the Power then Harry would be most vulnerable. Harry, who had _somehow_ remained unscathed during the past few months, could get hurt...gravely. Who knew what Harry was going to face? And who was Harry trying to save Ginny from? Death eaters of course!

Tonks came to a complete halt and tried to take stock of the situation. Something had to be done if death eaters were present. She couldn't act hastily but then again, she just couldn't turn back and inform Dumbledore. What if it proved too little too late? She couldn't let Harry get into trouble...never. Harry was something which was far more precious to her than the rest of the world. She didn't dare tell Harry about how she felt but that didn't mean that she couldn't lov...

"_NO!_" a voice inside Tonks screamed at her. "_Don't even think about it_"

"_But why?_" another voice asked...a voice closer to her heart.

"_Because things can wait till everything is taken care of_" the other voice replied.

"_What if I lose him by then?_" Tonks's heart seemed to ask.

"_What if you have already lost him?_" her brain replied. "_Just friends...that's what you told the veela_"

"_What should I have done?_" her heart asked.

"_Spoken the truth_" came the reply. "_The truth which you have evaded till now...the truth which you still continue to evade_"

"_Someday..._" her heart began but the other voice cut in.

"_Be truthful to yourself first. You just don't have the guts to do it, do you? Anyway, forget this and help Harry now. He needs you_"

Tonks closed her eyes and took a deep breath to stabilize herself emotionally. It was weird as to how she could never bring herself to confess the truth to Harry. After all, she thought, Harry would understand. But yet...

Tonks opened her eyes and looked around. Now was not the time or place to get tangled into emotional things...that too about Harry. It was time to help him. With her mind focused on only one thing, she rushed towards her target.

**&&&&**

"Oh Harry...thank god you are here" Ginny's voice showed her relief as she rushed towards Harry. "Is the headmaster here too?"

"No Ginny. He doesn't know yet". Ginny looked crestfallen at the answer. Yes, Harry Potter had saved the day on loads of occasions but yet everyone would agree that there was a certain aura about Dumbledore. When he was present, the whole world seemed to be a safer place but then again, Harry was quite close to challenging Dumbledore's image. Yes, Ginny felt safe with Harry and there was no denying the fact that she was indeed safe now.

"How are you Wormtail?" Harry asked as he took away the wizard's wand and freed Ginny from her hand-lock.

"H...H...Ha...Haaaa...Harry" Wormtail stammered. "You haa...have gr...grown...soo...much"

"Too much for your own good?" Harry asked in an emotionless voice.

"It's so...so...nice to s...see you again" Wormtail continued.

"Why are you here Wormtail?" Harry asked.

"You...have grr...grown so much" Wormtail repeated while looking around frantically.

"Looking for a hole?" Harry asked. Harry didn't know whether he should pity the man in front of him or whether he should just hate him. He seemed to have gone from bad to worse (if that was possible) and had no sense of self respect.

"Ho...oo...le?" Wormtail seemed to be sweating profusely now.

"You know that we have rat traps all over the place here, don't you?" Harry felt awkward saying this in such a serious tone. Maybe in other times, he would have laughed at such a comment but now, he really felt that rat traps were long overdue for every secret passage at Hogwarts.

"Harry...you misunderstand me" Wormtail fell to his knees as he said this. Since he no longer had his wand, the only way he could get out of this mess was to try to plead for Harry's forgiveness.

"I misunderstand NOTHING" Harry's eyes glowered in the darkness as its cold gaze froze the death eater. "GET UP, YOU FILTHY MAN". Ginny cowered away at Harry's angry form. He really looked frightful.

"POTTER"

Harry looked around to see Snape approaching him. They were standing at a three way juncture and Snape was coming towards them from the left side, his cloak billowing behind him. From what Harry could see and guess, Snape had not seen Wormtail yet since he was hidden from view. All that Snape could possibly see was Harry holding a wand in front of him.

"Showing your talents to a girl alone in the corridor Potter...that too at night?" Snape asked with the deepest loathing as he came nearer and nearer towards the trio out of which only two people were visible to him.

"Professor..." Harry started to speak but was stopped in mid-sentence.

"Shut up Potter" Snape bellowed. "Let's see what the headmaster says on this occasion. And put your wand away"

"I cant" Harry replied with a coldness in his voice which caused Snape to stop just a few meters before Wormtail would have come into his view.

"You can't?" Snape hissed, his eyes narrowing in anger. "You are disobeying me Potter?"

"No sir" Harry replied without taking his eyes off Peter. "But..."

"Put - away - that - wand" Snape repeated again.

"Sir...if you listen..."

"_Expelliarmus_". Harry's wand flew through the air and Snape caught it neatly. "That will teach you...what the hell!"

Snape had no idea that someone had been hidden from his view. The moment he had taken away Harry's wand, he saw a person appearing out of nowhere and tackling Harry. Before he could even react, the person had reached for something inside Harry's pocket and vanished at the next blink of the eye. Even though the person was fast, Snape recognized him in the split moment's view he had before the person had taken on his animagus form. Wormtail.

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE" Harry burst out at his professor. "JUST LOOK...". Snape looked lost for words. He had never been spoken to like that by a student before but then again, the situation had never been one like this either. He opened his mouth once as if to say something but closed it once again. As he regained his composure, the look on his face turned to that of sheer anger and loathing.

"Wormtail!" Snape hissed through gritted teeth. Even though Harry was _very_ angry himself, he had never seen Snape this angry before. But, knowing that there was no time to be lost, Harry took few steps forward and snatched his wand from Snape.

"Thank you for safeguarding my wand" Harry gave Snape a murderous look. Snape peered at him with narrowed eyes but didn't say anything. Personal vendetta could wait for later as they had a far worse situation at hand right now.

"Where did that pest go?" Harry muttered mainly to himself but the others heard him too. As he scanned around, he saw a tiny hole at the end of the corridor. Harry closed his eyes for a second to visualize this portion of Hogwarts. After all, he had not gone over the map of Hogwarts and the radar for days on end for nothing. Lots of his meditation sessions had been devoted to knowing each and every nook of Hogwarts but still a lot of information seemed to get messed up. After some precious seconds, he turned towards Ginny.

"Ginny, be ready with your wand" Harry told her as he pointed out the hole to her. "Same goes for you Professor"

"What do you mean Potter?" Snape questioned. "And remember, you don't give orders here"

"I remember Professor" Harry retorted. "It's just that this is a dead end with a small room behind it. There is no way out from that room unless Wormtail blasts a hole in the wall opposite to him"

"And how do you know this?" Snape looked puzzled at getting this piece of information.

"And Wormtail could blow a hole on the other side" Harry continued thoughtfully as if he had heard nothing. "I say we blow away this wall".

"Hold on Harry..." Ginny started to say but Harry was already casting his spell. Seeing that Harry had made up his mind, Ginny cast a spell which was followed by one sent by Snape.

"There you are Wormtail" Harry said as soon as the dust settled down. Wormtail had his back towards Harry and had just cast a spell on the opposite wall. Instead of getting blown apart, only a few cracks had appeared on it. Harry imagined that this rooms wall were stronger than usual due to some additional magic. Also, they had been able to blast apart a wall because three powerful spells had hit it almost simultaneously.

"Ha...Har..."

"What do you have there?" Harry asked in concern as he saw something which was covered in some kind of cloth. "_Accio cloth_" Harry said and the piece of cloth came flying towards him. Even as he caught the cloth, his eyes widened in fear and puzzlement. Wormtail had the Goblet of Fire in his hand.

"Hand it over Wormtail" Snape said in a commanding voice. "You know better than that" he said as he saw Wormtail trying to target the trio.

"Severus...you wouldn't...you..." Wormtail stammered.

"Oh yes, I would" Snape said as the end of his wand emitted sparks reflective of his mood. Harry saw it was best to let Snape handle the situation. Ginny also took a step backwards at seeing Snape's murderous looks. Obviously, ever since Snape had 'officially' left the death eaters ranks, there had been no love lost between him and the other death eaters.

"Seve..."

"_Accio Goblet_" for some reason unknown to even himself, Harry summoned the Goblet of Fire to himself. Everyone seemed slightly surprised at this sudden move but was relieved to see Harry making a clean catch despite the Goblet being much bigger and heavier than a snitch.

"When did you become a staff member at Hogwarts Potter?" Snape asked in his usual hatred filled voice. "Now...if you will..." with that, Snape held out his left hand towards Harry while keeping his wand trained on Peter. Ginny was also targeting Wormtail just in case he tried his disappearing act again.

Harry knew how Snape would take the credit as to how he saved the Goblet from getting stolen and how he had caught Peter Pettigrew. With a grudge at having to lose to Snape again, Harry handed over the Goblet of Fire to Snape.

"That was the brightest thing you have done in all the time you spent at Hogwarts" Snape said. "And now..." Snape said as he looked at Wormtail with venom in his eyes. "...lets get rid of you". Harry didn't like the murderous look on Snape's face. For a moment, he wondered whether Snape would really try to 'get rid' of Wormtail forever or whether he would just stun him for the aurors. He had his eyes fixed on Wormtail when, all of a sudden, the look of fear from Wormtail's face vanished, giving way to a smile. Harry looked astonished when...

"Your time's up Potter" Harry closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and he looked to his right. Severus Snape, with a sneer on his face, had his wand pointed directly at Harry at point blank range.

**&&&&**

"What is holding them up?" Mr. Delacour asked his wife in a concerned tone as they sat in front of a number of students for the New Year's dinner party. Mrs. Delacour gave a shrug of her shoulders and posed the question to Remus who himself looked quite worried.

"I'll just check in on them" Remus told Mrs. Delacour. Whispering something urgently to Dumbledore, who nodded his response, a thoughtful Remus got up and left the table.

Remus had been worried a lot about Harry lately. He just wasn't himself since the events of the Christmas night. No one blamed him for what happened but Harry could be blaming himself for what had happened to Dobby. After all, Harry usually took the blame onto himself whenever some kind of attack, devised to capture him, landed others in trouble. Also, this time the whole thing had ended in the death of Dobby who was one of the closest beings to Harry. Who knew what could be going on his mind?

Remus didn't know how he could reach out to Harry in this state. He had hoped that Tonks would have been able to bring him down to the feast this evening but from the looks of things, it seemed like she was still having a tough time persuading Harry. Even as he proceeded towards the Gryffindor tower, little did he know what was really happening.

**&&&&**

"What happened Potter?" the sneer on Snape's face seemed to be growing by the minute as he snatched away Harry's wand with one hand and disarmed Ginny with a spell. "You seem like someone died". Harry had pure murder written all over his face. He was looking at Snape with as much hatred as he had for Voldemort.

"You betrayer" Harry finally said calmly, much to Snape's surprise. After all, Snape wanted Harry to be broken in every aspect, physically and mentally. Even though Harry's face betrayed the anger he was feeling, his mind seemed to be in control of things.

"Betrayer?" Snape asked in mock surprise. "Whom did I betray? Dumbledore?"

"YES" Ginny screamed as she grabbed Harry's sleeves tightly. It just made her feel safer but this time around, it was more to keep her temper in control. "You lying greasy slimy..."

"SHUT UP" Snape shouted. "I will not be spoken to like that. Wormtail..." Snape spoke to the wizard who had Ginny targeted. "...finish her off"

"NO!" Harry covered Ginny from everyone's view. "You have got me and the Goblet. Let her go". If Harry had seen Ginny's face at that moment, he would have noticed a strange mix of emotions passing over her features.

"And bring back the old man here?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"You are afraid of Dumbledore, aren't you?" Harry asked in a taunting voice. "Afraid that..."

"I am afraid of NO ONE" Snape shouted. "No one except the dark lord who needs to be feared"

"Then why all this hide and seek game?" Harry asked as he took a small step backward. Ginny, getting the hint, stepped back slightly too.

"That's what you lack Potter..." Snape said, his sneer still fixed in place. "...Strategy"

"And what strategy forced you to serve Dumbledore for all these years?" Harry asked curiously.

"Can't figure it out with all that intelligence you have, can you?" Snape said with a small laugh. "So much for the mighty Potter"

"You haven't answered my question yet" Harry said as he nudged Ginny further backwards. Ginny, knowing that the turning in the corridor was not far behind, inched back slightly in the shadows so that she could make a run for it.

"Well..." Snape looked quite delighted. "...It was my lord's idea. He had assigned me to kill Dumbledore. No...I didn't plan to beat him in a duel but I could always do stuff with potions. I was assigned to the task the day the dark lord got information about the prophecy. I was to strike on Dumbledore the day you were taken care of. One day…2 victims and the whole world would have been at the feet of my lord". Snape had a fanatical glee in his eyes.

"And I ruined your lord's plans, didn't I?" Harry asked with a smile. After all, he was happy that he had got the better of Voldemort and Snape's plans when he was just a year old.

"Yes Potter" Snape's sneer had vanished. "No one knew how it happened but...well...maybe it was all for the 'greater good'" Snape quoted Dumbledore.

"But a lot of death eaters got captured due to the information you provided" Harry said thoughtfully.

"That was a small price to pay to earn Dumbledore's trust" Snape gave an evil smile. "The dark lord specifically told me who should be turned in. There were quite a few 'weak' members whom we wanted to get rid of". At this, Snape gave Wormtail a look which caused him to gulp down a lump in his throat.

"What about Karkaroff?" Harry asked. "I heard you threatening him. Also, you saved my life in the first year..."

"Enough" Snape's voice showed the contempt he had for these things. "I did whatever I had to do then since the dark lord was still not back. And the dark lord had instructed me that I would in no way ever expose myself until he told me so. That's why I had to do those disgustful things"

"Your lord seems to be more manipulative than powerful"

"POTTER!" Snape bellowed. "Mind your tongue. Anyway, I have had a lot of chit chat with you for the time being. It's time to get rid..."

"Just one more thing" Harry asked in a pleading voice which pleased Snape to a great extent. "Why are you stealing the Goblet of Fire?". By this time, Wormtail was so engrossed in the conversation that he didn't even notice that Ginny was almost completely in the shadows. As for Snape…Harry was blocking his view pretty well.

"Good question Potter" Snape sounded as if he was just about to give some house points to Harry. "You see, this thing has been a pain in the neck for a long time and we want to get rid of this once and for all"

"What do you mean?" Harry seemed confused.

"Since this seems to be your last wish, I will grant it to you" Snape seemed to be enjoying the fact that at last Harry Potter was at his mercy. "In the summer holidays something happened...something which hasn't happened in a long while. We all believe you are somehow connected with it but we don't have any proof"

"What are you talking about?" this seemed to be getting weirder by the minute.

Snape, on the other hand, didn't even seem to hear Harry. "You had somehow pulled out Gryffindor's sword out of the hat in your second year. Maybe that had meant a lot to Dumbledore since he kept the sword safe in his office. Anyway, this summer, a strange occurrence took place. The Goblet of Fire lit up by itself. Mind you..." Snape seemed like he wanted to make his point very clear. "...the Goblet was not supposed to be lit so soon again. But it did. And it all happened after the night you ran away"

Pausing for a moment, Snape continued. "I didn't understand the implications then but Dumbledore did. When I told about this to the dark lord, he immediately understood it for what it was. The Power of Hogwarts had been activated again"

"What?" Harry put on a mask of surprise on his face and even managed to baffle Snape. He was not supposed to know anything about some kind of a power.

"The Power of Hogwarts Potter" Snape repeated. "The Power was first activated by Godric Gryffindor himself. Gryffindor had used it to prevent Slytherin from taking control of what was rightfully Slytherin's"

"Hold on a second..." Harry said. "What IS this power you are talking about?". Harry wanted some answers to the puzzle he had been trying to solve and it seemed like Snape was ready to answer them. Harry wasn't going to let go of this moment so easily.

Snape's gaze seemed to pierce Harry but Harry didn't buckle under the pressure. He also had to prolong the discussion so that Ginny could get away.

"Dumbledore didn't tell his favorite pupil about the Power?" Snape asked mockingly. "See...that's why he can't be as great as the dark lord. He manipulates people he knows and cares about while the dark lord only manipulates people he doesn't know or doesn't care about"

"Anyway..." Snape returned into his professor mode but maintained a steady aim at Harry. "The Power is supposed to be made up of three known and one unknown item. Gryffindor's sword, the sorting hat and the Goblet of Fire are the known items. Gryffindor had something else which was the key to the Power. He used it to activate the Power". Harry thought about this comment and suddenly something struck like lightning in his mind. It was the glove which Gryffindor must have used to activate the Power. Of course, it all made sense now. The Power had been activated _after_ he had tried on the glove for the first time.

"How did this Power help Gryffindor?" Harry asked. It seemed a bit awkward that he seemed to be having a civil conversation with Snape after all. What was even more ironic was that it seemed he wouldn't make it alive out of here. How could he escape both Snape and Wormtail? Well...the only bright spots were that maybe Ginny could escape and he would be able to learn about the Power after all these months.

"It somehow kept Salazar from attacking Hogwarts and others. We don't know how Gryffindor did it and it still remains the greatest piece of magic even though not everyone knows about it. There were stories about a strange power stopping Salazar from attacking innocent people but no one knew the truth. No one knew except a select few. This power did indeed stop Slytherin from attacking both Hogwarts and the people of England. Whenever he tried to do something, he weakened"

"And what does this have to do with the times now?" Harry asked again. "I mean...there is no Slytherin now"

"There is!" Snape snapped back. "The dark lord is the only descendent of the great Salazar Slytherin". Harry cursed himself mentally for forgetting this. "And this Power is again stopping my lord from taking what is rightfully his"

"So all the attacks over the past few months were to destroy these items?"

"Seems like you have some brains after all" Snape sneered. "We didn't want to destroy all of them. Destroying only one is enough to deactivate the Power. But that old man hid the items all over Hogwarts. We couldn't even get close to them"

"Then how did you know this was here?"

"A certain rat checked every corner of the castle during the days you were in France". At this, Wormtail gave smiled which made Harry's blood boil.

"So...hmmm..." Harry tried to come up with another question. Ginny was almost in a position to make a run for it and she was praying to god that Harry would just be able to hold on for a few extra seconds.

"So...destroying the Goblet will destroy the Power?" Harry asked at last.

"The Power is nothing if even one item is destroyed" Snape replied. "The Power won't exist after tonight and the dark lord will be free again"

"So that's why he has never appeared in any action throughout the past few months" Harry thought loudly. "But...but why don't you just blow it apart now? Why are you stealing it?"

"If only you had the brains, you could have been an above average wizard yourself Potter" Snape said in a loathing voice. "Do you think a simple curse will blow apart such a powerful magical object?"

"Then how..." Harry's voice trailed off at this.

"Remember how your godfather died Potter?" Wormtail winced slightly at this question posed to Harry while Harry's face hardened.

"The veil!" Harry exclaimed. "The veil was stolen from the Ministry during the summer holidays"

"Very good Potter" Snape seemed quite surprised that Harry had guessed the link correctly. "Only the veil can destroy objects like the Goblet. That was why it was created". Harry started to think again about what Simon Potter had written about the glove – "_According to Godric Gryffindor, only one object can be used to destroy the glove. That object is unknown to me_" Now Harry knew the answer to it. The veil could be used to destroy the glove too.

"So..." Harry began but stopped short as he saw Snape's eyes glance over his shoulder.

"GET THE GIRL" Snape bellowed as he caught sight of a slight movement in the shadows.

"RUN GINNY RUN" Harry shouted even as he heard a pair of feet running away rapidly. Both Snape and Wormtail shot off spells towards the red headed girl but missed her. Harry was relieved to hear the sound of running feet dieing at a distance.

"Arghhhhh..." Snape grunted in anger. "Again you have come into my way Potter, again. Now, it is time for me to take revenge for the defeat at Azkaban"

"You were the person I was fighting?" Harry's eyes narrowed in both anger and amusement. Anger because he had being robbed of a victory that day and amusement because it had been Snape on the run that day.

"Yes Potter" Snape said. "And that smile of yours is going to vanish NOW"

"Not if I can help it. _Expelliarmus_" a voice from behind Snape shouted. Wormtail had not noticed a person moving in the shadows behind Snape and he knew he would have to face Snape's wrath for it, that is, if they made it out of here.

"TONKS!" Harry heaved a sigh of relief at hearing the stern and tense voice of his metamorphmagus friend and saw her catching all the wands cleanly.

"You ok Harry?" Tonks asked without taking her eyes off Snape. She threw Harry back his wand without even looking at him.

"Yeah" Harry replied as he caught the wand.

"You will pay for this Nymphadora" Snape said through gritted teeth.

"Not before you pay first. Harry, take away the Goblet" Tonks said. It was quite obvious who was in command here. Harry did as he was told.

"Now...march towards the great hall" Tonks poked Snape with her wand in the back as she said this. "Harry, you cover Wormtail"

"Not if I can help it" came a commanding voice. Harry felt a wand tip touching his back even as Tonks eyes went wide in fear and astonishment. "Give Snape his wand and the Goblet back". There was something in that voice which sent a chill down Harry's spine. They were facing a very dangerous enemy.

**&&&&**

"Why does everything happen to Harry?" Fleur thought sadly as she scouted the corridors of Hogwarts. Her mind was working furiously trying to guess where Harry could have gone. Also, she was trying various tracking spells to find Harry but all seemed to be reaching a dead end somewhere or the other. Fleur knew she had to somehow help Harry and hoped that at least Tonks would find him out.

Tonks! She was a kind of enigma to Fleur. She had said that she liked Harry just as a friend but Fleur had a very strong suspicion that it was more than that. After all, Fleur may be a quarter veela but it was still enough to let her know about some of the people's emotions...mainly those related to that of attraction.

She had felt a strange sort of emotion emitting from Tonks whenever the topic of Harry was brought up or whenever Harry was near. Also, it seemed quite clear from her eye's that she held Harry in _very_ high esteem. Whether it was just adoration or something deeper, Fleur couldn't tell.

"Fleur" Fleur was brought out of her thoughts by a male voice calling her. Looking around, she saw Remus approaching her from a corridor on her left.

"Where are Tonks and Harry?" Remus asked, somewhat relieved to find at least one of them. He had been quite worried ever since he found the Gryffindor common room empty. Fleur looked at Remus for an instant and then looked away again.

"What happened?" Remus asked again though his voice was now a concerned one. With a deep sigh, Fleur explained how Harry had run out and what Tonks had overheard.

"YOU MEAN..." Remus looked as if some sacrilege had been committed. Fleur just nodded in reply.

"Yes...Ginny is in danger and Harry went off to save her" Fleur said. "And Tonks said that Har...hold on..." Fleur stopped in mid sentence and looked up at Remus, her eyes unable to hide her fear. Remus was also speechless by now. Both of them seemed to have come to the same conclusion. Fleur covered her face with both her hands and started trembling. Remus seemed to have recovered enough to voice the fear which both of them had.

"What is Ginny doing here now?"

**&&&&**

"GINNY!" Tonks looked absolutely shocked when she saw the petite young girl emerging from the shadows, her wand pointed at Harry. Harry was speechless to say the least. His head had dropped and he had even lowered his wand. He felt hopelessly lost.

"Yes Nymphadora" Ginny replied with a smile which was very unlike her. Gone were the innocent smile and the innocent eyes. Instead, an evil smile and two eyes filled with hatred had replaced them respectively.

"Tell me this is some bad dream" Harry whispered to Ginny. "Ginny...you can't...not after..."

"Percy?" Ginny completed the sentence which Harry could not finish. "Why not Harry? And no, this is not a bad dream at all _Harry_". There was something in the way she pronounced Harry's name which caused Tonks's blood to boil in anger.

"Now..." Ginny's voice was back to the commanding one heard earlier. "Hand over the Goblet and wands back to Snape and Wormtail or else...". Even as Ginny said this, sparks flew from her wands end. Both Harry and Tonks did as they were told. As soon as Snape had got back his wand, he disarmed both Tonks and Harry and threw their wands away in a corner.

"I think my work is finished here" a squeaky voice, which had not been heard for a long time that evening, spoke up. "I should be going". With that, Peter Pettigrew took on his animagus form and disappeared down the corridor. Harry knew that Peter would take one of the multiple secret passages out of Hogwarts and escape. At that moment, Harry pledged that if he lived through the night, he would block each and every entry and exit points of Hogwarts. With a sigh, he thought as to why he hadn't done it earlier.

"So you were not kidnapped?" Harry asked even though he knew the answer. Snape cast a spell which caused both Harry and Tonks to crash into the opposite wall, side by side. Even as Harry tried to get up, he saw Ginny glaring at Snape.

"No Harry" Ginny replied. "I was never kidnapped"

"Then...urgh..." Harry's back hurt from the crash. "Why are you here?"

"Just as backup Harry" Ginny replied even as she moved closer to Harry. "And...to get what is rightfully mine". As Ginny said this, she traced a line from Harry's forehead to his lips. Even though Harry was now very controlled in his actions, he couldn't stop himself this time. Impulsively, he slapped Ginny. At this, Snape raised his wand to curse Harry but Ginny stopped him.

"Remember what the dark lord promised me?" Ginny asked in a threatening voice at which Snape lowered his wand slightly. No one dared to go against Voldemort's wishes and promises.

"What did that filth promise you?" Harry asked in a hissing voice. Ginny turned back to face Harry, her eyes burning brightly in anger.

"DONT YOU DARE TO DISRESPECT THE DARK LORD IN FRONT OF ME HARRY POTTER" Ginny bellowed before her behavior changed back to normal...or as normal as she was now.

"He promised me power Harry" Ginny said with a dreamy look. "And money...and..." Ginny's voice trailed off at this.

"And?" this time it was Tonks who spoke up. Ginny glared at her before turning to look back at Harry with her innocent eyes.

"And you Harry...you" Ginny had a glow on her face which was erstwhile missing. She seemed quite confident of achieving her goals now.

"And what makes you think you will be able to get me Ginny?" Harry asked sarcastically while Tonks seemed to be fuming.

"Harry...think about it. We will have lots of money and power" Ginny seemed to be lost in a world of her own. "People will _have_ to do what we want. It won't be something like this fancy D.A. which is filled with some idiots. We are talking about rich people here. We ca..."

"There is no _we_ Ginny" Harry snapped. "It's only you...all alone. How could you do this Ginny, how could you?" Harry's face reflected the despair he felt. What would the Weasley family do? Already Percy was lost to them and now...

"How could _you_ leave me Harry?" Ginny seemed to be angry with Harry. "You never ever cared for me. You were like some damned hero who saved me once and then went back to your group of mistresses". Harry felt disgusted at hearing this. It wasn't hard to guess which people Ginny was talking about.

"God knows what they did to you" Ginny's voice seemed very sympathetic. "I know it's not your fault". She was now very close to Harry and had his face cupped in her hands. "They spelled you, didn't they Harry? You always wanted me to be at your side, didn't you dear?"

"NO" Harry was quite appalled by Ginny's behavior. "I thought of you as a friend but now I even hate that thought". Ginny's eyes flashed in anger at this but she didn't say anything. "You are disgusting Ginny"

"But why would You-Know-Who want you?" Tonks asked thoughtfully. She had this question in mind for a few minutes now and thought this was the best moment to put it forward so as to divert the topic. Ginny, who had been contemplating something in her mind, seemed to be interested in this question.

"Because..." Ginny looked at Tonks from top to bottom. "...only I could help look for the Goblet all the time when the death eaters couldn't find it. And because the lord knows a jewel when he sees one". Moving nearer to Tonks, Ginny asked in an audible whisper "What have you done to _my_ Harry? Did you offer him _everything_ you had?". This taunting question was answered by Harry. He spat right into Ginny's face. If Snape had not had his wand trained on Tonks, Harry would have probably strangled Ginny.

"Mind your tongue death eater" Harry had a look of hatred in his eyes which Tonks had never seen before. Ginny cast a cleaning charm on herself but didn't seem angry.

"I am not a death eater yet, Harry" Ginny said with a smile as she moved closer to Harry. "But now that I have helped find the Goblet, I will be one of the top members. With the dark lord free again to do anything he likes, I will have power. Come with me Harry" Ginny's eyes had a pleading look in them. "Please Harry...come with me"

"Never" Harry retorted angrily. "Not even if I am dead"

"I love you Harry" Ginny said in the same tone which was unaffected by Harry's rejection. "I have loved you from the very first day I saw you. We are meant to be..."

"We are meant to be NOTHING" Harry shouted in Ginny's face. "NEVER". The look on Ginny's face changed to one of sheer hatred. She turned and walked back a few feet, obviously in deep thought. Coming to a conclusion, a stone faced Ginny turned back towards Harry.

"In that case Potter, you are not going to be anyone else's either". With that, Ginny raised her wand and a black light sped towards Harry. Harry knew moving out of the way was not an option since Ginny had taken him by surprise. He had been too caught up in his emotions for his senses to work correctly. He didn't know what the spell was but it looked a dangerous one to him. Even as the spell was about to hit him, a single outstretched arm came in its way and absorbed it. Harry turned his head to see a smiling Nymphadora Tonks looking at him. The next moment, the smile vanished and Tonks dropped to the ground.

"THERE THEY ARE" a shout was heard by Snape even as Tonks collapsed. Looking around, he saw Lupin, McGonagall and Fleur hurrying towards them followed by Flitwick. Knowing this was too much for them to handle added to the fact that their task had been achieved, Snape quickly grabbed Ginny and took out a piece of parchment from his pocket. The next moment, two humans and a Goblet were portkeyed away to a remote hideout.

**&&&&**

"Hold on Tonks" Harry shouted at the unconscious body of Tonks as Remus leviated it and started to proceed towards the hospital wing. "HURRY UP REMUS!' Harry shouted disregarding everyone else present there. Flitwick had gone to inform Dumbledore about the incident while Fleur and Harry followed Remus. McGonagall was inspecting the site where the Goblet had been previously hidden.

"Yes Harry" Remus replied in a very grave voice and started to move faster. Harry was almost running in forward of them now and keeping a lookout for more surprise attacks. He had had too many surprises for one evening.

"MADAM POMFREY" Harry shouted as he entered the hospital wing.

"What is it Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked in an angry tone. Obviously, she hadn't taken too well to someone shouting in the reserved area.

"It's Tonks...she..." Harry had not been even able to complete his sentence when Madam Pomfrey's eyes went wide. One look at Tonks and she jumped into action. She put Tonks in a bed and asked everyone to step outside.

"Headmaster..." Madam Pomfrey's head popped through the fire in Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore looked quite worried. Flitwick was also present in the room.

"Yes Poppy?" came the question in a quite but stress filled voice.

"You should have a look at Nymphadora". Madam Pomfrey looked dead into the eyes of the elderly sorcerer to make her point. Dumbledore nodded and flooed to the hospital wing immediately.

**&&&&**

"What was the spell Harry?" Remus asked. He did not like what he had just seen and wanted to know which spell had hit Tonks. Harry, on the other hand, seemed clueless about the spell.

"Don't know Remus" Harry shrugged, his face tense. "How long do you think it will take Tonks to recover?"

"Depends on the spell" Remus replied and sat down beside Harry in one of the benches near the door of the hospital wing. "I just hope that the side effects are not grave"

"She was smiling" Harry said with a shrug. "Don't know why though". Fleur, who was sitting opposite to Harry, felt an underlying emotion to all of Harry's words and sighed inwardly.

"You know how she is, do..." Remus stopped as the door opened and Dumbledore stepped out. He had a grave expression on his face. All color left Harry's face as he saw the expression on Dumbledore's face. It had to be bad.

"How bad is it sir?" Harry rushed towards Dumbledore as he gave up all hope of good news. Dumbledore looked for a moment at Harry and then turned away, unable to meet the eyes of Harry.

"I am sorry Harry…Nymphadora won't make it"

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

Thanks to all you guys who have reviewed till now. I now have 300+ reviews :).

I didn't have the time to cross check whether the Christmas vacation lasts till January 1'st in Hogwarts. Well…it does in my fic and hence the students don't come back till New Year. That's why Ginny wasn't supposed to be back on the 31'st. Sorry if I got my facts wrong.

I hope I have been able to clear up lots of points in this fic. There still might be some holes in the plot which I will clear up in the sequel.

More about Tonks in the next chapter.

**Koppa** – Even though I have not abandoned this fic, I think there will still be a lot of people wanting to hurt me.

**Lilith91** – Your review had this line – "Oh My God. She killed Dobby". Well…I am a guy.

**TimGold** – I appreciate your effort to push up my review count but I guess it will be stuck between the 300 to 350 mark. Well…I am happy with what I have got.

**meehanium** – I am not giving you my address. I have this image of a person with a baseball bat in hand and…ouch…

**To all those people who have reviewed** - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.

**&&&&**


	24. New Year's Resolution

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 24 - New Year's Resolution**

"How bad is it sir?" Harry rushed towards Dumbledore. Dumbledore looked for a moment at Harry and then turned away, unable to meet the eye's of Harry.

"I am sorry Harry, Nymphadora wont make it"

**&&&&**

"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a confused smile. It was so obvious to him that he was hearing things. After all, he had heard things when the Chamber had been opened again.

"Come here Harry" Dumbledore beckoned Harry towards him. Harry, still with a confused look on his face, did as he was told. Remus and Fleur were looking absolutely stunned by now as they couldn't believe what they had heard just now. Harry, on the other hand was astonished as he felt Dumbledore pulling him into a tight hug.

"Harry...Nymphadora was hit by the _Death Curse_" Dumbledore said in a quavering voice. He was tired...tired of giving bad news to his young pupil. He had stopped meddling with Harry's life and yet...

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he pulled out of the hug.

"It is a very ancient curse Harry" Dumbledore looked at Remus as he said this. Remus was looking helplessly at him with his mouth hanging open in shock. "It was used to kill before the Avada Kedavra was made. Whoever gets hit by it dies a slow death...slow and...p...painful..." Dumbledore couldn't finish the sentence as he tried to get a grip onto himself. It was unlike him to ever behave like this but this time around, he could feel the turmoil going on inside Harry and Remus. The pain and disbelief in their hearts was too much for him to bear. He had never felt so emotionally lost since Lily and James had been killed. What hurt him the most was the thought of how Harry might react. Over the past few months, he had tried to stop being just a headmaster. He had tried to reach out to Harry personally. And now that he had achieved it partly, he understood just how much this young man had gone through. He had to take the blame for a large part of it but even after he had tried to stop interfering, Harry was going to suffer another loss. Without another word, Dumbledore swept past all those present there and went to his office.

"I didn't know he can say such stupid jokes" Harry turned towards Remus with a stupid smile on his face. "Some death curse or whatever...ha!"

"Harry..." Remus began slowly "...what Dumbledore said was true"

"What?" Harry looked like Remus was acting like an idiot too. "C'mon Remus, surely you don't believe him"

"Dumbledore never jokes on such topics Harry" Remus said as he moved towards his adopted godson. "Tonks got hit by a fatal curse"

"Oh yeah?" Harry's voice had a challenge in it. He dared Remus to say anything more. "C'mon...I will show you". With that, he grabbed Remus's hand and pushed open the door of the patient's area. "You too Fleur" Harry shouted over his back. Fleur silently followed them.

Making their way to Tonks bed, Harry turned to Remus.

"Look at her" he pointed towards Tonks who had her eyes open now. "She's just as well as she ever can be. Ok…she got hit by a curse and looks a little bad but she will recover. Satisfied now?" Harry seemed angry with Remus. Remus's eyes traveled from Harry to Tonks and he kept gazing into her eyes. Tonks was silently weeping which Harry had failed to notice. Seeing Tonks weep almost broke Remus's heart. After all, Tonks was the one who was always cheerful no matter what happened and she made sure that the others had some fun too. On seeing the tears slide down Tonks face, Remus couldn't stop his tears either.

"Hey...what happened?" Harry looked closely at Remus. "Oh...sorry...I shouldn't have talked to you like that" Harry thought Remus had been hurt by Harry's words. "I am sorry I hurt you Remus. Tonks...you tell him..." Harry turned towards Tonks and stood there in silence for a few moments. Tonks was crying too.

"Hey...Tonks...what happened?" Harry asked in a whisper as he sat down beside Tonks. "Why are you crying?" Harry looked very concerned now. Getting no reply, Harry said "Oops...something must be wrong with your eyes. I bet the spell..."

"HARRY..." Remus said through gritted teeth. "...snap out of it"

"Out of what?" Harry asked before his face turned red with anger. "Oh...so all of you are into this, aren't you? Want to make a fool out of me today so that you can have a good laugh?"

"Harry..." Harry heard a strange strangled voice and it was only after a couple of seconds that he located the source of the voice.

"Tonks..." Harry asked in a concerned manner. "What happened to your voice? I must ask Madam Pomfrey..."

"It's no use Harry" Tonks replied, albeit with great difficulty. "It's time"

"Time?" Harry looked from Tonks to Remus to Fleur back to Tonks. "For what?"

"To move on" Tonks replied. "I am dying Harry" Tonks managed to say the words with great difficulty. But to her surprise, Harry just broke out in laughter.

"Nice one Tonks" Harry said as he controlled his laughter. "Anyway...seriously...when will you be released? You can have everything inside the tr..." Harry stopped as he remembered that Fleur was present too and he didn't want to mention anything about the trunk in front of her. "You know what I mean, don't you?" Harry asked with a wink and a smile.

"I can't..." Tonks started to say something when Harry started to get angry. He seemed to have had enough of this 'joke' and seemed fed up. Fleur was silently crying now while Remus was sitting on one of the many chairs beside Tonks's bed, his head in his hands.

"Enough" Harry said in an irritated voice. "This is going too far. You peopl...oh – my – god!"

Tonks also had had enough. Harry just wouldn't believe their words. He thought that they were fooling him when the truth was that he was fooling himself. Unable to bear it any longer, Tonks threw away the blanket which was covering her. The sight which greeted Harry was one of pure horror. Fleur ran out of the room while Remus drew his breath sharply. Seldom had he seen someone in such a state.

Every part of Tonks body seemed to be bleeding. The bed was charmed to automatically clean the stains. Tonks arms were the worst affected. It seemed like someone had driven in millions and millions of pins into them causing blood to ooze out. Tonks's body shivered from time to time due to her nerve cells playing havoc inside her body. The rate at which she was loosing blood was very fast. It was enough to cause certain death over a period of a couple of hours.

Harry had his hands covering his mouth by now. Some part of him was thinking this was all an illusion while another part was ready to believe that Tonks was not being treated properly. The logical part of his brain seemed to be lost in the maze of the illogical thoughts.

"MADAM POMFREY...HOW DARE YOU LEAVE TONKS LIKE THIS?" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs and seemed angry beyond reason. "Hold on Tonks..." Harry was breathing very fast now. "...I will stop it". With that, he whipped out his wand, which he had picked up from where Snape had thrown it, and started muttering healing charms at random. Every charm which hit Tonks caused her more pain but she didn't complain. She knew that Harry was only trying to help. Madam Pomfrey had come out by now and she snatched Harry's wand. As an angry Harry turned towards the nurse, he was surprised to see her crying too.

"Don't you see...Harry...don't..." Tears slid down the face of the school matron. "She's dying Harry...she's...she's...". Madam Pomfrey bit her lower lip to keep herself in control. Harry could see that she was trembling from head to toe and her lips were quavering. Finally, unable to keep herself under control, Madam Pomfrey handed Harry his wand back and went into her office, banging the door behind her.

"What?" Harry finally managed to understand what was happening. Slowly, he looked at Remus who still had his head in his hands. From the way his body was shivering from time to time, Harry could easily guess that he was weeping. Turning back to Tonks was the hardest thing to do. Yet, he somehow managed to look Tonks in the eye.

"That curse..." Harry spoke very slowly and his eyes narrowed. "You knew what it was, didn't you?". In reply, Tonks just turned away her face and started to look at the other side.

"Speak to me Tonks" Harry said in a pleading voice. Getting no reply for over a minute, Harry burst out "SPEAK TO ME". This seemed to get Tonks attention. "You knew what the spell was, didn't you? That's why you were smiling, wasn't it?" Harry's eyes were burning with anger. Tonks looked for a long moment into those emerald green eyes but didn't reply. Nor did Harry ask for a third time. He had got his reply.

Tears started flowing down Harry's cheeks as he understood the sacrifice Tonks had made for him. She had knowingly given up her life to save him. And it was not the killing curse which killed someone instantly. Rather, it was a curse which caused her inexplicable pain and slow death. She had made a trade with fate. She had kept the light of the wizarding world shining by giving away her own life. She had done something which Harry never thought anyone would do for him.

"Hey..." Tonks whispered, bringing Harry back to reality. "Don't cry" Tonks blinked back tears as she said this. "If you cry then it makes my heart bleed. And nothing hurts more than a bleeding heart"

"Why Tonks?" Harry asked in a choked voice. "Why did you do it? I am not worth it". Harry tried to take a step forward but found his legs shaking uncontrollably. He held on to the side of the bed and slowly sat down beside Tonks.

"You are worth far more than you can ever imagine" Tonks said with a weak smile. "You are the light which is showing the way to the others. You teach people about how to live a tough life with a smile on their faces"

"You are wrong Tonks" Harry shook his head. "It was you who taught me how to smile". More tears were shed by Harry.

"And now I am making you cry" Tonks looked very disappointed. "I am sorry Harry"

"YOU SHOULD BE" Harry cried out. "HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME ALONE HERE?". Tonks said nothing in reply but gave a wry smile. At least, she had been able to break through Harry's icy exterior of the past few days. At last, Harry was back to being the person he truly was.

"Tonks..." Tonks looked around to see Remus approaching her. "...wasn't there any other way?". Tonks shook her head. Remus gave a deep sigh and nodded his head. "I am proud of you...sister" Remus said in between freely flowing tears. He gazed long and hard at the face of the girl who would be gone forever in a few hours. Tonks kept looking at Remus and wept along with him.

"I am sorry Remus" Tonks said after a long time. "I didn't plan to leave you all so soon". Remus nodded his head in understanding and gave a pat on her head. He would miss seeing a pink haired girl tripping over even a grain of dust. He ran his fingers through her hair and just kept shaking his head.

"She's betrayed us Remus" Harry said, his gaze fixed on the floor below. "She always wanted to be the first in everything...and this time...she cheated". Tonks had closed her eyes by now. She just couldn't look at these two suffering men in front of her.

"You know what..." Harry looked up with a sad smile. "...she's good...she's good at cheating". More tears welled up in his eyes as he said this. "She beat us both in a race which was supposed to be won by me"

Tonks opened her eyes and looked at Harry. She tried to say something but no sound ensued. Finally a croaked voice could be heard again.

"I am so sorry". With that, Tonks broke down into sobs. She just couldn't bear the pain which she had inflicted upon these two people. Remus couldn't take it anymore and marched out of the room in a disheveled state. Harry didn't move...rather, he wouldn't move.

"You cheated..." Harry kept on repeating this sentence and kept shaking his head. "You...sigh...". He smiled for a moment and the next moment he was shedding tears of untold misery. Suddenly Harry looked at Tonks with a sad smile and said "You remember the time you first cheated with me in a duel? That time...". Harry tried to finish the sentence but his voice betrayed him. He opened his mouth a couple of times more but no sound ensued. Tonks was looking at Harry with sorrow filled eyes even as Harry broke down into tears again.

"You can't leave..." Harry said in small gasps. "You can't...you wont...you..."

"I have to Harry" Tonks said with great difficulty. With every passing moment, her body seemed to weaken and the pain seemed to increase. "I can't help it...not now..." Tonks paused for a moment to draw her breath. "…not anymore"

Harry kept looking at his feet for a long time as silence fell in the room. Finally he looked up at Tonks with a tense face and a resolve in his eyes.

"Tonks..." Harry asked in a steady voice. "Will you hate me if I said something you don't want to hear?"

"No Harry" Tonks replied with an astonished look. "How can you ever think that I will hate you?"

"Sorry Tonks...it's just that..." Harry's voice trailed off. Looking at the expectant eyes of Tonks, Harry continued. "...It's somewhat tough to explain"

"Even to me?" Tonks asked with a wry smile but immediately regretted it. Even smiling was becoming painful now. Closing her eyes, she took in a few deep breaths which caused her pain to subside slightly. Harry's heart cried at seeing the pain which Tonks was going through.

"Well..." Harry looked uncertainly at Tonks once she had opened her eyes again. "...hmmm...it's...hmmm..."

"Harry" Tonks said forcefully. "I don't have much time". Harry's head dropped at this. He didn't know how to say what he intended to say but he knew he had to do it.

"Tonks..." Harry's gaze shifted towards his hands. "From the first day I saw you, I felt that you were kind of a new breeze in my life". Tonks looked curiously at Harry. "The way you arranged my trunk...the way you tried to fold the socks..." Harry smiled at the thought and even Tonks gave a weak smile. "I was down in the dumps that year and getting to know you was one of the better things which happened in my fifth year. Even though we didn't spend much time together, I guess we were just friends or something like that"

"Yeah" Tonks agreed.

"After Sirius, things changed. I felt so alone. I felt as if no one cared for me...no one wanted to know how I felt" Harry's voice was filled with sadness. "Even Ron and Hermione had not written to me all summer. At that time, you and Remus came into my life. Well...you people were there all the time but we shared one common thing - Sirius"

"Yeah" Tonks replied again but her voice wasn't as strong as it was about 30 minutes back.

"And after a lot of mumbling and persuasion and...well...you guys finally came to live in the trunk and I felt a lot better. You guys made me smile...or rather..." Harry looked directly at Tonks in a long while. "...you made me smile"

Tonks gave another curious look at Harry. He seemed to be trying to say something but was just repeating the past in a way. But still, what he had said just now meant a lot to Tonks.

"Glad I could be of some help after all" Tonks replied. "But...but...why are you saying all this Harry?"

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Whenever you were there..." Harry continued. "...I felt as if there was someone I could always count on. Yeah...Remus was there too but he is more like...you know...a father kind of person". Tonks nodded her head in return as she knew exactly what Harry meant. "But you were different. I always had fun with you. Whenever you were there, I felt a strange calm inside me. Whenever you got angry with me for being careless, I would feel nice about it. When you hit me and then apologized at the dinner table...I want you to know that I really appreciated what you did. You did what you did because I think you cared for me"

Tonks was listening to Harry in a speechless manner. What was this all about?

"No one has cared me for like that...no one has ever freaked out like you because I had done something which I shouldn't have been doing. Only people who care about someone else do stuff like what you did" Harry seemed like he was in a trance now as he continued to describe what he felt like. "I have never felt so close to anyone. Whenever I looked at you I felt different. Your eyes have a magic about themselves and whenever I looked into them, I felt as if I was in the seventh heaven looking at an angel. You are the person I always thought of being with someday. You were part of my dreams and you were the one who took away all the pains of my nightmares. Unknowingly, you are and always will be my destiny". Harry smiled at this...a smile which was a mixture of great hope and pain.

By this time, Tonks was shedding tears and, for the first time that night, these were tears of pure joy. She only hoped that Harry meant what she thought he meant but she didn't want to hope for too much. After all, she didn't deserve anything extra than just being near Harry.

"I always prayed that you would someday think of me as more than just a friend. It doesn't matter to me whether you say yes or no, but the fact remains that..." Harry paused for a long moment before opening his eyes and gazed deeply into the expectant eyes of his favorite metamorphmagus.

"That?" Tonks prompted Harry, albeit in a whispered voice.

"That I love you Nymphadora Tonks...I love you" With that, Harry slowly placed his hand over that of Tonks's right hand. He expected her to pull it away...to slap him...but nothing of the sort happened. Seeing that he had still not been slapped, Harry continued "I want to snatch you out of the clutches of all the pain and misery this world has. I don't know if I have the right to do so or not, but if possible, I will do anything I can to show that you are the most extraordinary person on this earth. You are one who is ready to die for another which shows your own spirit is pure" Harry felt tears forming in his eyes once again as he kept looking at Tonks. Both of them were relieved in a way. "I knew I was blessed for every second I got to spend with you. Not everyone gets to spend time with the most beautiful person on this earth. You are..."

"Shhhh..." With great pain, Tonks put a finger on Harry's lips. She wanted to understand what he had just said and wanted to know whether it was the truth or she had just dreamt about it. The pain which shot through her body assured her that she had not been hallucinating. It had been the truth after all. Tonks closed her eyes and tried to remember every word Harry had just said. They might not have been the most romantic words in the history of mankind but they were surely the most precious one's she had ever heard.

Harry looked slightly taken aback at this. "I am sorry if I have hurt you but this is what I feel about you now...and forever" Harry said and started to take his hand away. He was pleasantly surprised when Tonks grabbed his hand tightly and stopped him. She had her eyes open and was looking directly at Harry. Tonks's eyes were shining brightly with happiness as she held Harry's hand disregarding the physical pain which she felt. It was her mental peace and happiness which really mattered right now.

"You are not mad at me, are you?" Harry asked tentatively. There was something in Tonk's eyes which confused Harry. It was glimmering with happiness, sadness, hope and...maybe love. Maybe he was imagining things, Harry thought.

"Harry..." Tonks choked as she spoke for the first time in the past twenty odd minutes. "Can I tell you something?". Harry nodded his head in reply and awaited Tonks's statement.

"I love you too Harry" Tonks bit her lower lip to diminish her physical pain as she said this but all this was nothing compared to her feelings. She felt like she was the happiest person on earth. Harry couldn't believe what he had just heard. His mind must be playing tricks with him, he thought. After all, he had wanted to hear this so badly that most probably this statement must have been one of his imaginary ones. Harry's thoughts were so effectively reflected on his face that Tonks smiled inwardly.

"I had been so afraid to say this" Tonks said with great difficulty. She was breathing in small gasps now and didn't even make an effort to move her body. It was just too much. "Sorry Harry...I failed to confess my feelings to you". Tonks continued as the first rays of sunlight were threatening to break the darkness all around.

Harry was silently weeping along with Tonks, a smile on his lips now. "But we know now, don't we?" he asked in a whisper. Tonks only nodded her head in reply. At this moment, Remus entered the room once again.

"Remus..." Tonks said in a shrill voice. She had very little time left. "...Harry loves me Remus...Harry loves me". The joy on her face was like that of a kid who had just received the top most grades in her class. Remus looked slightly stunned at this piece of news but recovered quickly enough. Looking at the happy faces of both Tonks and Harry, he felt grateful that they had got the time to share their feelings.

"I..." Tonks started to say something when her body seized up. Convulsions started to rock her body but Harry didn't let go of her. Her hands and feet were lashing out at anything and everything in their way. Blood was oozing out like never before. Harry's right hand, which was holding Tonks's right hand, was covered with blood now. After about 5 seconds, Tonks's body slumped down on the bed.

As Harry and Remus looked, their hearts broke. Tonks was struggling desperately to keep her eyelids open. Her spiky hair was all smudged in blood just like the rest of her body. Her fingers were twitching from time to time. If someone saw her now, it would have seemed as if she had been skinned alive.

"Har...ry" broken words ensued from Tonks mouth. By the way Tonks was blinking her eyes, it seemed as if she was having trouble with her sight too. "I don't want...to die". Tonks said desperately while Harry had a look of helplessness on his face. By this time, Fleur, McGonagall and many other teachers had arrived in the room.

"Remus..." Tonks turned her head towards the oldest of their family. Initially she had trouble locating Remus but, upon straining her eyes, she got a good look at him. "...I want to live". Tears were pouring down Tonks eyes as she said this. "With you...with Harry". Remus looked away on hearing this. He had no control over life and death; otherwise he would have traded places with Tonks.

"I wanted to..." Tonks stopped for air as her breathing got harder. "...wanted to wear this one day". With that, she took out a small object from her left pocket. The blood stained object in her hands was the emerald ring which Harry had presented her on her birthday. Harry gulped when he saw it and remembered how Tonks had said that she would wear it on the appropriate day. Alas, that day would never come.

"But I can't, can I?" Tonks asked, blinded by her own tears as her whole body was threatening to seize up again. "I want to live. Harry...where are you?"

"I am right here Tonks" Harry stooped over Tonks as he said this. Remus was blinking hard not to shed any more tears.

"Harry..." Tonks gasped for air even as she said this. "...give this to the one...you choose". With that, Tonks put the emerald ring in Harry's hand. She didn't even hear Harry's words of protest.

"It's yours Tonks...I can't...There will be no one else…" Harry didn't bother to control himself in front of everyone. Right now, he didn't care. But try as he may, he couldn't force it back into Tonks hands.

"Har...Ha...it is time" Tonks cried out in pain. Her whole body was bent in an awkward way as she tried to escape the pain which was growing by the second. "Can you k...kiss me...once?" In spite of the pain which she was suffering, Harry could feel the real emotions behind Tonks's question. She was afraid Harry would say no...afraid of being rejected by her true love of life. The hope in her eyes was overshadowed by the fear in her. Harry didn't reply. Instead, his actions spoke for themselves.

Harry bent down to Tonks's level and wiped out the tears from her eyes. Then, turning his head ever so slightly, Harry's lips, for the first time, met Tonks's in soft embrace. Tonks hands wandered in the messy black hair of Harry...the hair she had come to love for so long. She wanted to have a feel of them for the last time. Both of them kissed each other passionately for what seemed like an eternity but was really a second. As the ray of sunlight broke in through the window and illuminated the pair, Harry felt Tonks body go numb. Slowly, he broke the kiss and lowered the figure knowing fully well what had happened. Nymphadora Tonks had been relieved of all her pains...forever.

McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and Fleur were openly shedding tears. Even little Flitwick had misty eyes. As Harry rested the body of Tonks on the bed, the ray of sunlight fell directly on her face. For the first time in many years, there was a certain look of happiness and satisfaction on the face of Tonks which had never been there before. Death had given her what life could not.

Harry stood beside Tonks and kept looking at her for a long time. He wanted to keep the memory of the angelic face with him forever. He was not alone though. Remus also kept looking at Tonks as he strode up to her bed. He muttered some cleaning charms and made away with the stains on her face. Straightening her hair as much he could, he pulled on the blanket to cover the dead body. Slowly, he covered her up to her neck and only her face remained visible. He had never seen Tonks so peaceful and beautiful in his whole life and he somehow felt grateful that she had been able to get the love of her life even if it was momentarily. He sat down on the side of the bed opposite to Harry's and looked on at the lovely face which they would miss forever.

All of a sudden, a strange glow started to emit from all parts of the castle. Everyone looked around in wonder as a strange aura of light seemed to be emitted by the very castle itself. It lasted for a couple of seconds before diminishing. Everyone who was present there guessed what might have happened. The Goblet had been destroyed and so was the Power of Hogwarts.

No sooner had the glow died down when a chair clattered to the floor. Harry had got up so fast and furiously that the chair had fallen. With blazing eyes, he looked at Remus. Remus, who knew that look, gasped knowing that Harry was very angry and was about to do something.

Harry didn't care much now. All he knew was that he had to have his revenge...by hook or by crook. But apart from revenge, he had to make sure of one other thing and he was going to make sure that he didn't fail in that. Harry took out his wand and pointed it upwards. With a last look at Tonks and his own blood stained hands, he said something which had never been heard before in Hogwarts. The sound echoed throughout the castle and even Dumbledore jumped to his feet when he heard it.

"_I, Harry Potter, with the blood of Nymphadora Tonks on my hands and with the power bestowed in me by the wizarding world, curse the families of my own bloodline from either marrying or mating with the bloodline of Ginny Weasley and her descendants. Let the people who violate this curse suffer a horrible death at the hands of their lover._

_Let this curse stand from henceforth to eternity_"

No sooner were these words said by Harry that his wand started to glow and vibrate. After a couple of seconds, a ray of light emitted from it and vanished through the ceiling of the hospital wing and into the skies above. The curse had been placed.

Harry didn't care to look at the astonished and frightened expressions of all those present. He didn't care what anyone thought of him. He knew that Remus would always support him and Tonks would always be with him...in his heart of hearts. An exhausted and emotionally drained Harry slumped into his seat beside the body of Tonks and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Your sacrifice will not be wasted Tonks" Harry's voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone present. There was a feeling of sadness in it which was beyond description. "I will make sure of that". There was a kind of determination in Harry's words which had _never_ been present before. Gazing at the peaceful face of his dead friend and lover, Harry said what had become the aim of his life.

"You helped me see a new dawn and I will help others to see a new dawn...a dawn which won't have Voldemort in it"

**&&&&**

**A/N:**

That's it guys. End of a long journey for me. Just to let you know, the sequel will be called "Harry Potter & The New Dawn" and I will start on it after HBP will be released. Mind you, the sequel will be completely AU and whatever similarities might arise will be out of coincidence.

Now…I know many of you hate me at this moment. To tell the truth, I hate myself right now. I went a long way in describing Tonks's character…her itsy bitsy things…her irritating ways…everything about her. Obviously Tonks is JKR's creation but I tried to develop her character more…tried to give more substance to it. After so many chapters, it really pained me to write this as I love the character of Tonks. I don't know if my writing was able to convey the image which I have in my mind but if it touches you, then think of what it might have done to me.

Thanks to all you guys here who took time to read this fic. A special thanks to all those who motivated me to keep on writing after my fic was taken down here. This has been one hell of a journey for me and I really loved and appreciated each and every review I got for it.

I have kept my word on finishing this fic and hope to keep my word on finishing the sequel too (let me start on it first!).

Last but not the least, I apologize to all you Honks people once again. It was tough but I figured if anyone would sacrifice their life to save Harry then Tonks would be at the top…at least in my story.

If you people want to discuss anything, then you are welcome to join my group. The link is present on my profile page.

Thanks to everyone once again.

Regards,  
Prabal.

**&&&&**


	25. Epilogue

Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it & let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here

**HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS**

**Chapter 25 - Epilogue**

_June 7'th_

_Dear Diary,_

_I feel so sad. I feel terrible. I saw Sirius in my dreams again and I thought he was alive. But…he died. I had seen him falling through that cursed thing and...no...he cant be dead. No...he cant..._

_**&&&&** _

_June 18'th,_

_Long time no see Mr. Diary. I still feel terrible about Sirius but I am not alone. Harry Potter and Remus Lupin feel just like me. I don't know how they are coping with it. Those two people are very nice to me and are helping me forget my troubles. Thank god that I found some people who still remember Sirius and grieve over his death. Just look at all others...they never even stop to talk about him._

_I have to sleep now. Damn tired._

_**&&&&**__  
_

_July 30'th_

_THERE YOU ARE. God damn it...I have been writing in some other diary for the past 40 odd days thinking it was my diary and now I found you. How could I have done such a thing to you? I am sooooooooo sorry._

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

_Now I feel better. I just banged the other diary on the desk and...sigh...the desk is damaged. Oh my god! What is that other diary made of? Sigh._

_**&&&&**__  
_

_Sep 1'st_

_See...I am trying to write to you everyday now. You have forgiven me, right? Please...please..._

_Ok...let me tell you a secret. I think I like a guy. Hehe...I am not saying his name...no...not unless you forgive me. Hmmm...let me give you a hint - I stay with him._

_I got to go now…Harry is getting on the train soon._

_**&&&&**__  
_

_Sep 2'nd_

_Can you believe that Hogwarts was attacked by death eaters and giants? And now, Harry is…no…I can't write anymore. I have to be at his side._

_**&&&&**__  
_

_Sep 3'rd_

_Is it me or is Harry just too hard to control? He keeps doing all kinds of stuff which keeps me on tenterhooks all the time. Look at all the stuff he does…running away…Azkaban…giants…and now I don't know what he did all day but he looks awful. Did he try anything once again which may have gone wrong or…hmmm…is he still having nightmare and not telling us anything about it?_

_I still can't believe he has distanced himself so much from his friends. How is he feeling about all this? It must be terrible…_

"Harry!" The voice of Remus brought Harry back to reality. He had been sitting in the trunk for a couple of hours and had been going over a diary of Tonks he had found.

"In my room" Harry called out. Even as Harry put away Tonks diary, Remus entered looking very grieve stricken.

"Hey" Harry said in a whisper. A sad smile played on his lips as he watched Remus sit down on a chair. Remus didn't reply but let out an audible sigh.

"Seems empty, doesn't it?" Harry said as he glanced around his room. "No one but the two of us here"

"Yeah" Remus nodded his head slowly. Even though he was terribly sad over Tonks's demise, he was almost equivalently fearful of how Harry might react. When Madam Pomfrey had said that she would require 5 minutes alone to clean up Tonks's body, Harry had promptly returned to the trunk. Remus could almost feel the need for Harry wanting to be alone. He had waited outside for 2 minutes when he realized that Harry could do something in the heat of the moment. Rushing in to find Harry in his room had been a relief for him. But the relief was almost instantly replaced by other feelings...grief...loneliness...sadness...

"She was good...kept us laughing all the..." Remus trailed of in a choked voice.

Harry did not reply. The trunk felt different now that both Dobby and Tonks were gone. When he had been living alone with Dobby, he didn't feel the need for anyone else. But now that Remus and Tonks had lived with them for so long, it seemed that the trunk was just what it was - a trunk. Tonks and Dobby had helped make the trunk a home but that home had been destroyed now. Thoughts of happier times flashed through Harry's mind only to be replaced by the thought he would never forget - Tonks smiling at him as she stopped the curse from hitting its specified target. That smile had been one of the happiest smiles of Tonks. There was no fakeness about it. The eyes showed their delight as every particle of the light was absorbed by her body. The face was lit up like that of a parent whose child had just uttered his or her first word. At that moment, it looked like the face of the happiest person on earth...knowing fully well that death was now inevitable. Very few could have shown such pure joy at such a juncture of their life.

"She was happy" Remus broke the silence which had lasted for well over 20 minutes. "She died happily...on her own terms"

"Yeah" Harry nodded in agreement. Yes, it was true that very few people were lucky enough to decide when they would move on to the next world and Tonks had been one of them.

"Remus..." Harry's questioning tone caused Remus to look Harry straight in the eye. "Why do I feel tired of all this? I mean...if I die or kill Voldemort, then everything's over, right?" Remus's heart bled knowing that Harry was going to blame himself again. "I don't know what to do?". With a deep sigh, Harry continued "This burden...it is...well...quite difficult to carry". Harry had shifted his gaze at the ceiling and was staring blankly at it. Remus knew that saying anything now might not be a good idea. Even though Harry had posed the question to Remus, he seemed as if he was talking to himself.

"Mom and dad died because of me" Harry smiled wryly at this. "Voldemort got vanquished which led to Neville's parents getting tortured to insanity. Who knows what else happened because of that? And then...Ginny almost got killed...Mr. Weasley got bitten...and...Sirius..." Harry's voice trailed off as his eyes got misty. He blinked hard to hold back the tears but couldn't do so. The events of the past week had opened up a lot of wounds.

Remus came forward and sat down next to Harry. Slowly, he tried to get Harry's hair to straighten but to no avail. He did not stop trying and kept running his hands through Harry's hair. Maybe this would have been what Lily would have done for her son...maybe this is what he had always wanted to do - have a son of his own whose joy and sadness would be a part of his own life. Whatever the reason, Remus knew Harry wanted someone to give him support. Even though Harry was the one and only Harry Potter, he was still a human being.

As tears continued to trickle down his face, Harry finally found his voice again. "You guys came along and I thought everything might be ok from now on. But so many deaths...Dobby...he was great...he...Tonks..." Harry choked off again as more tears started to trickle down.

"It will come to an end Harry" Remus said reassuringly. "It will be alright"

"When Remus, when?" Harry looked dead straight at Remus. Remus saw the person inside Harry crying out in pain...the pain which seemed to be growing exponentially in his life. Few people had seen so much pain at such a young age but those who fought it had gone on to become legends. Dumbledore was one such example and Remus had confidence that Harry would become such a person one day too.

"Life is a struggle Harry" Remus replied. "It has its good points and bad ones. One day, you will have to do something which will take your burden away forever. You will have to finish off the person who has made your life hell. That will be the day it ends forever"

"And what if I can't do it?" Harry asked in a frightened voice. If he was unsuccessful in destroying Voldemort, that would mean only greater pain and more deaths of innocent people.

"You will be able to do it Harry" Remus replied before adding emotionally. "You promised it to Tonks"

Harry looked uncertain for a few seconds but then, his face became hard with determination. "Yes...I have to keep my promise..." Harry said. "...not only to her, but also to mom, dad and Sirius". Remus gave a nod and another long period of silence ensued. Harry maintained a steady silence all along while Remus looked lost in thought. Suddenly Remus sat up bolt right and saw that they had spent almost 5 hours in the trunk.

"I think we should go now" Remus said to Harry. Harry took some time to understand what Remus meant before nodding his head and getting up. He didn't want to leave his room and go out but he knew he had to. He had to pay his last respects to Tonks who was going to be buried at Godric's Hollow. Harry had never visited the place and never hoped to visit the place again for such a thing as a burial.

_**&&&&**_

"Harry, can I have few minutes with you?" Harry had almost reached the great hall doorway when the voice of Dumbledore was heard from behind. It was not even near the normal voice of the headmaster he had known for all these years. Rather, it seemed like the voice of a grandfather who had lost someone very close to his heart.

Harry looked uncertainly at Remus but Remus gave a reassuring look. Telling Harry that he would lead the way along with McGonagall, Remus asked Harry to see what Dumbledore had to say.

"Yes sir?" Harry questioned as Dumbledore caught up with him. As Harry looked closely, he noticed for the first time how old Dumbledore really was. The wrinkled skin and other things had always been overshadowed by the overall aura of the person but the person in front of him looked almost broken. He looked human.

"I am sorry" Dumbledore said as he fell in step with Harry. Both of them were walking slowly at the back of the group of people making way to Godric's Hollow. Harry didn't know if he had anything to say and decided to stay quite.

"It takes a lot to earn a person's love and respect..." Dumbledore continued, albeit in a slower rate than usual. "...and when you lose it all after you have earned it..."

"You didn't know anything about Snape?" Harry interjected rather rudely.

"No..." Dumbledore replied. "...but you will have to trust me on my word. I have no proof to support what I am saying".

"I understand sir" Harry's anger faded away, replaced by the feeling of sadness. A part of him was soon going to be buried deep down and he knew that he would miss that part of himself very much...in fact, he would miss it more than anything in the world right now.

"The time is coming Harry" Dumbledore's words brought Harry back to reality. "This is not the time to say all this but Lord Voldemort is free again. The end to the second war is coming nearer".

Harry knew it was true. Voldemort was free to do whatever he wanted to and only he could do something about stopping the evil dark lord. Even as Harry was thinking about all the terror which Voldemort would unleash, he couldn't help but feel that he had been left in the dark...again!

"But you never told me anything about all this. You never explained the attacks on Hogwarts...the attack in France...everything" Harry looked helplessly at his headmaster. "How do you expect me to stop him?"

"This was never about you and hence you didn't have to know about it" Dumbledore sighed. "At least, not this time. I blundered the last time but this time it just wasn't about you". Dumbledore sounded helpless as he said this. Harry couldn't say anything in reply as Dumbledore's explanation was true. The Power was never about him or Tonks or anybody else's. The Power was a thing between Dumbledore and Voldemort.

"But..." Harry gave a slight shake of his head as if he had just remembered something. "...it was me who...". At this point Harry's voice trailed off. He didn't want to tell Dumbledore about the glove...not now...not ever.

"You played a very tiny part in it" Dumbledore's eyes seemed to be piercing the very thoughts of Harry. Even without trying legilimency, he seemed to know what was going on another's mind just by looking at them. "Apart from whatever you did, you were never a part of it". Harry thought about this for a moment and agreed. After all, no one had come to kill him, except Ginny, and even that was a spur of the moment action or whatever. All the while it was Voldemort planning to destroy the force stopping him from his carrying out his evil deeds.

"Remember one thing Harry..." Dumbledore said. "You will have to make a choice down the line. Nymphadora made a choice to give you a chance to destroy the evil which is threatening to sweep our land. You will have to make the correct choice when the time comes. Never forget one thing..." Dumbledore continued in a voice almost similar to his normal one. "...the _power _remains with you"

_**&&&&**_

Harry and Remus watched in silence as the coffin was slowly lowered into its respective position. Emotions were high amongst all those present. Tonks's mother was being comforted by her husband as their daughter was laid to rest in peace forever. Many of her colleagues had turned up for the funeral along with almost all the teachers, except for Snape. Some were crying openly while others were blinking back tears. Everyone knew that the breath of fresh air named Tonks would be dearly missed forever.

Slowly everyone started to leave expressing their condolences to the Tonks family. Almost no one bothered to say anything to Harry or Remus as their relationship with Tonks was almost unknown. The few exceptions were Harry's teachers who came in to say a quick word or two. Harry didn't reply to any of them. He didn't care. Neither did Remus who didn't seem to hear anything being said to them. As everyone filed out of the graveyard, Harry, Remus and Dumbledore were the only one's left.

Dumbledore had not talked much after what had happened the night before. He knew every detail of what had taken place but had not commented on any of them. Even Minerva McGonagall had had trouble getting him to talk and that was saying something. Only Harry had been lucky enough to have had a chat for more than a minute with the elderly sorcerer who seemed to have gone into a shell.

Dumbledore stood for a long while in front of the graves of Lily and James Potter. The past was a difficult thing to forget, more so when it was right in front of one's eyes. Beside the 2 graves, there stood another one. All of the three had been very close to Dumbledore's heart and yet here he was, alive and well standing in front of their graves. This had to stop somewhere and he knew that only Harry could do it. All he could hope for was that Harry wouldn't give up. After all, Dumbledore had once completely given up when he was younger before he went on to become what he was today. Hopefully, Harry would set a similar example. With a sigh, Dumbledore turned and left for the school. He couldn't leave Hogwarts for long...not with Lord Voldemort around.

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"Time to go Harry" Remus said as dusk started to settle in. They had spent the whole day in front of the graves of James, Lily and Tonks. This was Harry's first time at the burial place of his parents and he seemed to like it there. Somehow, Harry felt very close to his parents and his mind was very calm. Yes, he was still grieving...he was still shocked...he hated Ginny and Snape...he felt the need to destroy Voldemort NOW...yet, he felt a strange calmness inside him. The contradiction in his feelings was ironic but that's what his life had been till now.

"I think I will wait for a few more minutes" Harry didn't even look at Remus as he said this. His gaze was now fixed on two words - Nymphadora Tonks. "You go on and don't worry about me. I will be back soon". The tone of Harry's words left no room for any argument. Remus knew he had to go back now otherwise he would miss the Order meeting. But he couldn't leave Harry alone either. As he tried to contemplate his actions, an unexpected arrival solved his problems. Fawkes.

"Well...I guess Fawkes will remain here with you" Remus said as he stood up. "Come back soon, ok?" Harry just nodded in reply. With a sigh, Remus looked at the graves for one last time and left the place.

Harry sat there for a long time since Remus had left. As the evening grew colder, he tucked his hands in to his jacket's pocket only to find something present there. Tonks's diary. Slowly Harry took it out and opened it. Even though he knew it was wrong to go through someone's personal diary, he still felt that this was his only link to Tonks left. He had to go through it for the rest of his life so why hesitate now? He cast a permanent luminosity charm and went through some more pages of what Tonks had written. A range of emotions passed over his features as he read on. He was angry when Tonks belittled herself...when she thought she was 'just not worth it' while he smiled when he read about her 'adventures trying to find Simon Sinatras' or 'the great escape from an escalator'. Tonks was Tonks and no one could ever take her place. Harry was so immersed in the diary that he didn't see the sky darkening. It was only when thunder rolled that he remembered where he was. Looking around, he saw it was quite dark and on checking his watch, found that it was almost 8 p.m. Fawkes, who had been his partner throughout the evening, was also eyeing the sky and Harry could tell that he didn't want to stay there much longer.

"Fawkes...let's go home" Harry said as he got up. The night sky reflected everyone's mood that day. A trill from Fawkes told Harry that he was grateful to be 'allowed' to go home at last. Fawkes flew up to Harry's shoulder while he was looking intently at the graves of his parents. Finally, his eyes rested on the grave of Tonks for the umpteenth time that day. He did not weep this time around. Rather, the feeling had finally sunk in that from tomorrow onwards there would be no one to shout "Wake Up" in his ear tomorrow morning.

"You will always be in my heart Nymphadora Tonks" Harry said as he pocketed the diary. "This..." he took the emerald ring in his left hand. "...will never find its place on anyone else's finger. There will never be anyone else's. My heart is yours...forever".

With that, Harry looked at the grave for one last time and turned back towards the way to the castle. He knew his destiny had to be fulfilled and he would do it on his own terms...just like Tonks. Voldemort would not find it easy to get past him. Harry knew he had to keep his promise to his parents, Sirius and…Tonks. There would be a new dawn without Voldemort on the face of this earth.

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**A/N:**

I just felt the need for this chapter to finish off the fic 'smoothly'. Also, many reviewers said the same thing and hence I decided to go ahead with this chapter.

**Talons** - The curse stands for Ginny Weasley's line only.

Just a word to all those people who have asked me to redo the last chapters – Sorry…I don't have any such plans. Also, some of you threatened to stop reading this fic if I didn't redo them. The irony of the situation is that some of you have never reviewed before the last chapter. How the hell am I going to miss you if I didn't even know you existed?

I know I might be sounding rude or you might think that I have let whatever success I have had go to my head. The truth is that nothing has changed. I will continue writing and I still want you people to stick around. The bottomline is that this is my hobby and if you people share the same passion with me then it feels good. Otherwise, tough luck for either of us.

I hope that you people will stick around for the sequel.

**Note:** A complete pdf version of this story can be found at my yahoo group whose link is present in my profile page.

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